Bears at NFL annual meetings: What to watch for

ORLANDO, Fla. — No matter where the NFL gathers, the Bears remain at the center of its universe. That was the case at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis last month and at USC quarterback Caleb Williams’ pro day in Los Angeles last week. And it remains true this week in central Florida, where NFL power brokers have gathered.

Here’s what to watch for during the NFL’s annual meetings, which run through Tuesday:

What’s next with Williams?

General manager Ryan Poles, coach Matt Eberflus and seven other Bears representatives attended Williams’ pro day in Los Angeles on Wednesday. The next step: getting Williams to Halas Hall for a formal interview — one of 30 allotted each team — and a medical evaluation. The latter is critical, as Williams is the first player in modern history to skip his medical exam at the scouting combine.

Williams said last week that he “didn’t know yet” when he’d head to Halas Hall, but it presumably will happen in the next two weeks.

Putting a button on Justin

Poles is expected to hold a news conference Monday morning for the first time since trading quarterback Justin Fields to the Steelers on March 16. It will be curious to see how forthcoming Poles is about his decision — and whether deciding to draft a quarterback was much of a decision at all — now that Fields is playing for another team.

For many, the Bears’ return for Fields was underwhelming — a 2025 sixth-rounder that can turn into a fourth-rounder if he starts more than 51% of the Steelers’ snaps in 2024. But it’s unclear if the market was ever more robust than that.

The stadium question

Chairman George McCaskey and president/CEO Kevin Warren will represent the Bears at this year’s meetings during a critical time in the team’s stadium search. The franchise has turned its attention toward a stadium on the lakefront but have remained in contact with Arlington Heights about the property-tax rate on the land the Bears own.

Warren met with Friends of the Parks on Thursday and suggested, among other things, a sports museum, pedestrian bridge to Northerly Island and a hotel on the property. It would cost at least $1 billion in public infrastructure, though.

One-offs

The Bears already have been chosen to play one game in London in 2024 and, with three former players headed for enshrinement, could be a strong candidate to play in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game in August. In recent years, the NFL has used the annual meetings as an occasion to announce such game details. Then there’s the question that McCaskey tries to rebuff at this time every year: Will the Bears be on HBO’s “Hard Knocks”? The league can insist upon it.

Help needed

Free agency has dwindled to a trickle, but the Bears still have $23.5 million to spend. Key areas of need remain unmanned — an edge rusher spot opposite Montez Sweat, a defensive tackle to replace Justin Jones and a third wide receiver to play alongside DJ Moore and Keenan Allen.

The Bears haven’t added a free agent in almost a week, but that doesn’t mean they’re closed for business.

New rules

The NFL competition committee will present its plan for a new kickoff to owners Monday morning. The proposal, which borrows heavily from the XFL, would put all players on the kicking team but the kicker on the opposing 40-yard line. At least seven players on the return team must be at the 35.

The 10 kicking-team players will not be able to move until the ball is caught or hits the ground, with the goal of encouraging returns without sacrificing safety.

Onside kicks would still be allowed, but only in the fourth quarter and when declared in advance.

The Bears’ Richard Hightower was one of three special-teams coordinators who gave their input about a new rule to the competition committee during the scouting combine.