Chicago Bears announce key offseason dates

Earlier today, the Chicago Bears announced some key offseason dates.

They’ll begin phase one of their offseason program on Tuesday, April 18. Phase one is two weeks of strength and conditioning work, as well as physical rehabilitation. We won’t get much news during this time, as the coaches aren’t even allowed to work with the players.

The 2017 NFL Draft will take place from April 27-29, with Chicago's rookie minicamp taking place two weeks later, from Friday, May 12, through Sunday, May 14. This will consist of all their draft picks, their undrafted free agent pickups and a number of invited players that will be trying to catch the teams eye.

The Bears will have 10 OTA (organized team activity) practices, with the media allowed access on consecutive Tuesdays; May 23, May 30 and June 6. Last year, Chicago’s first and second OTA sessions went three days long, with the third going four days long.

And finally, the Bears will hold a full team minicamp on Tuesday, June 13, through Thursday, June 15.

As soon as the Bears announce their training camp schedule we’ll pass it along.