While talking with reporters today, Bears' defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano gave an answer that will unquestionably be music to fans' ears. When asked about when Pagano and the rest of the Bears might report to camp, here's how the coach responded:
I'm pretty sure [July 20] is the date the league has put out for everybody right now. Everybody will handle it differently whether you bring rookies in at that time. That's kind of the date that we're working off of. Coach knows and he's been very open with all of us. That's fluid. So the league is working through a ton of stuff themselves with protocol and how it's actually gonna look. I don't think anybody really knows. And so just like we adapted on March 12 or March 13 when they walked in and said 'hey, download your computers, load up your office, take what you need, and we're going to send you home and we'll let you know when you can come back.' I don't think anybody anticipated it would be towards the end of July would be the first time you'd get back.
If that's indeed true, and there are no coronavirus-related delays between now and then, that means that Bears camp would open exactly 32 days from today. It'll be the first time since 2002 that camp isn't held at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbannais, though that change was announced even before the NFL mandated that every team has to run their camps at home facilities.
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Chicago sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.