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Bears, Broncos, Saints can be forced to do Hard Knocks in 2024 training camp

Most NFL teams don’t want to appear on Hard Knocks, the annual training camp documentary partnership between HBO and NFL Films. But the league sees Hard Knocks as a valuable marketing tool, so when no team volunteers, a team is forced to do it. And this year, the Bears, Broncos and Saints are the three teams that won’t have the option of saying no.

Those are the only three teams that meet the following criteria: They don’t have a first-year head coach, they didn’t make the playoffs in either of the last two years, and they haven’t appeared on Hard Knocks in the last 10 years.

The teams that meet the criteria to say no to Hard Knocks because they’ll have a first-year coach this year are Atlanta, Carolina, Las Vegas, Los Angeles Chargers, New England, Seattle, Tennessee and Washington.

The teams that have made the playoffs at least once in the last two years are Baltimore, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dallas, Detroit, Green Bay, Houston, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Los Angeles Chargers, Los Angeles Rams, Miami, Minnesota, New York Giants, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Seattle and Tampa Bay.

The teams that have done Hard Knocks in the last 10 years are Miami, New York Jets, Arizona, Detroit, Indianapolis, Dallas, Los Angeles Rams, Los Angeles Chargers, Las Vegas, Cleveland, Tampa Bay, Houston and Atlanta. (The NFL confirmed to PFT that the three teams that have done in-season Hard Knocks, Miami, Arizona and Indianapolis, are exempt.)

So that leaves Chicago, Denver and New Orleans. Barring a team volunteering, Hard Knocks will be in one of those training camps this summer.