If Chicago Bears fans need one more reason to get excited about the 2023 offseason, look no further than the possibility of being the focus of HBO’s Hard Knocks — a show that follows an NFL team’s training camp and preseason every year. Essentially, it’s the signal for the beginning of football season. The show is a flagship program that pretty much everyone in the NFL circle enjoys and watches semi-religiously.
How could the Chicago Bears be selected for Hard Knocks?
The Bears, who have never been selected for the show, are one of four teams who qualify this season — along with the New York Jets, the Washington Commanders, and the New Orleans Saints.
The requirements for selection are fairly straightforward. A team has to not have a rookie head coach, has not made the playoffs in the previous two seasons, and has not been the focus of the show in the past ten years.
Last season, the show focused on the divisional rival Detroit Lions, and no matter if you love or hate the team on camera, the documentary is always a must-watch. If the Chicago Bears were to be selected, it would be a unique opportunity to watch the team grow and build during training camp, and see the play and personality of all players on the roster — especially the draftees and free agent signings that would be new to Chicago in 2023.
The Chicago Bears are one of 14 teams who have never been the focus of the documentary, and it seems that the streak could end this season. Compared to the other three teams, the Bears seem like the easy choice to focus on this offseason.
While the Bears have a star in the making in Justin Fields, the other three teams are a little boring. Both the Jets and Commanders are decent teams but are definitely in quarterback purgatory with Zach Wilson/Mike White and Carson Wentz/Taylor Heinicke.
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If the Chicago Bears can make the moves in the offseason that we all as fans expect a team with the number one pick and $120 million in cap space to make, an exciting roster and the prospect of winning a relatively wide-open NFC North could make the new look team a perfect subject.