Chicago Bears training camp: Important dates to know

The six-week journey to the regular season begins Tuesday when Bears veterans report to training camp at Halas Hall in Lake Forest.

Practice will begin Wednesday. Since 2020, the Bears have hosted training camp at their own training facility in Lake Forest, which was renovated in 2019.

A total of nine practices are open to the general public at Halas Hall, plus the team hosts a family fest practice at Soldier Field that is open to the public.

The journey to the 2023 season is about to begin for head coach Matt Eberflus, quarterback Justin Fields and the rest of the Bears. Here are some notable dates to know during training camp.

Shaw Local will have complete coverage from Halas Hall throughout training camp. Follow @bears_insider on Twitter for the latest news. Bears beat reporter Sean Hammond is on Twitter at @sean_hammond and on Instagram at @bears_reporter. Shaw Local Bears columnist Marc Silverman is on Twitter at @WaddleandSilvy.

Important dates

• July 18: Rookies report to training camp.
• July 25: Veteran players report to training camp. Players complete physicals and return to classroom settings. Running and conditioning is permitted, but no football activities are permitted.
• July 26-27: Practice begins. No live contact permitted. On-field practice may not exceed 3 1/2 hours. Helmets are permitted.
• July 28-29: Players are permitted to wear helmets and shells at practice. This completes the five-day on-field acclimation period.
• July 30: Mandatory day off after the acclimation period.
• July 31: Players are permitted to wear full pads. Two-a-days may begin, but one of those two practices must be a walk-through. Total on-field time shall not exceed four hours. Padded practices may not exceed 2 1/2 hours and may not occur for more than three consecutive days.
• Aug. 3: Hall of Fame Game between the Jets and the Browns kicks off the preseason schedule.
• Aug. 6: Bears host Family Fest practice at Soldier Field.
• Aug. 12: Titans at Bears preseason game, noon, Soldier Field.
• Aug. 16-17: Bears travel to Westfield, Indiana, for two days of joint practices with the Indianapolis Colts.
• Aug. 19: Bears at Colts preseason game, 6 p.m., Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis.
• Aug. 26: Bills at Bears preseason game, noon, Soldier Field.
• Aug. 29: All 32 NFL teams must trim their rosters from 90 players to 53 players by 3 p.m.
• Aug. 30: Claiming period for players placed on waivers ends at 11 a.m. Injured players on the 53-man roster may be placed on injured reserve beginning at 3 p.m.
• Sept. 3: Training camp officially concludes for all teams.
• Sept. 7: NFL regular season begins with a Thursday night game between the Lions and the Chiefs.
• Sept. 10: Packers at Bears regular-season game, 3:25 p.m., Soldier Field.