Conditioning Begins Off-Season Program

The April 4 reporting date for conditioning is critical for the Bears in the first year with a new coach, and they'll slowly ramp up the activity.

The Bears are back at Halas Hall today, this time with a new coach and staff.

Matt Eberflus has his team gathered for work as a group for the start of strength and conditioning. They're one of four teams with an early April 4 starting point.

As player start work together at Halas Hall they now will start to get a better feel for what Eberflus meant at his opening press conference when he said, "my next piece of advice for the players for sure is get your track shoes on, because we're running."

The firstpart of conditioning work is exactly that—strength training, conditioning and physical rehab for those who had injuries. There will also be meetings about the new offenses and defenses. 

Two weeks after the conditioning, phase two begins with on-field workouts that include individual or group drills. No team offense or defense drills are permitted.

The third phase involves organized team activities and mandatory minicamp with 7-on-7, 9-on-7 and full squad minus contact.

They'll need to be in better shape because it will be a team striving to be faster and more athletic in order to play in schemes on both sides of the ball demanding more movement.

The cover-2 defensive style required the Bears of Lovie Smith's era to get in shape and they went through his first training camp in 2004 overwhelmed by soft tissue injuries.

The wide zone run blocking scheme will call for lighter and faster offensive linemen to get into the second level of the defense and block linebackers.

Here's what to expect in the coming weeks as the Bears progress toward D-Day, the 2022 NFL Draft on April 28, and beyond.

1. Signings

There will be lots of them, most likely not the big money deals but street free agent types to unrestricted free agents who still are sitting in the marketplace after the initial three weeks of the signing period. 

The Bears had only 57 players on the roster as reporting date for conditioning began April 4. They need to build the roster to 90 for the offseason. Some of those will be their draft picks and they only have six of those at the moment, although trades could bring them more. 

Khyiris Tonga looks like he lost 20lbs & got more muscled... Dude is a tank pic.twitter.com/1spTbNcidh

— Bearlissimo (@Bearlissimo1) April 4, 2022

They'll need to start bringing in players to make it possible simply to run plays. It's not easy to run a three-tight end formation when they have only two tight ends currently on the roster. 

Similar manpower shortages exist at safety, cornerback, interior both the offensive and defensive lines and linebacker.

Another punter, perhaps another kicker for competition, and more receivers will be needed. They have five receivers under contract and two tight ends. When they reported for training camp last year they had 12 wide receivers and six tight ends.

2. Minicamp No. 1

From April 19-21 the team will be not just be conditioning but will be on the field practicing in their new offense and defense. By then, or shortly thereafter, they could have a much different view of some of the veteran players left over on the roster from the previous regime when they played in different schemes. Players will need to show they have the ability to adapt. In some cases this won't happen and places to anticipate this would be defensive line and linebacker, as well as on the offensive line. 

It could even impact their receiver decisions because the offense coordinator Luke Getsy brings to Halas Hall relied more on blocking from receivers in the running game and to set up screens.

There is another more specific scenario to watch and that is whether Roquan Smith participates in the April minicamp. 

It's a voluntary minicamp, unlike the one they'll hold in June, and the Bears get to conduct these early workouts because they have a new coaching staff. Sometimes veteran players with contract years coming up will hold out of such workouts to prevent injury before they can get a contract extension. Smith appears to be first in line for the next contract extension. His rookie deal expires after the 2022 season and without an extension he becomes a free agent.in March of 2023.

3. More Workouts

The rookie minicamp is slated for May 6-8 after the April 28-30 draft. This will be more interesting and carry a greater impact than in the past because many undrafted free agents and street free agents will attend with a real chance to make the roster. In past rookie camps under GM Ryan Pace, very few had real chances at making the roster a set roster loaded with veterans. One or two might make it a year, no more.

They'll conduct voluntary organized team activities, or non-contact drills, the week of May 16, May 23 and June 6. This all leads up to the mandatory minicamp June 14-16. Contract status no longer matters then as everyone is expected to participate.

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