The Chicago Bears are ready to adopt ‘Hard Knocks’ cameras this summer

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) — The Chicago Bears already thought they had a lot of eyes on them. There will also be a few additional cameras.

The Bears are set to welcome the “Hard Knocks” film crew this summer after HBO and the NFL chose the founding franchise to first appear in the training camp documentary.

“It shows something is brewing here,” linebacker Tremaine Edmunds said Friday. “Everyone wants to see what’s going on.”

Coach Matt Eberflus said the Bears were “excited about it” and wouldn’t act any differently with the HBO team.

President George McCaskey long resisted Bears participation. But with everything going on, it seems like the right time.

There are certainly plenty of stories to tell after the Bears made huge strides this offseason. Most notable, of course, was quarterback Caleb Williams with the No. 1 pick after trading Justin Fields and acquiring six-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Keenan Allen from the Los Angeles Chargers. Chicago also drafted Rome Odunze from Washington, giving the team a strong group of wide receivers to go with the return of DJ Moore, and signed running back D’Andre Swift.

But it’s not just about the roster changes.

The Bears are trying to secure funding to help build an enclosed lakefront stadium next to Soldier Field after turning their attention away from land they purchased in suburban Arlington Heights. Chicago will also have a strong presence at the Pro Football Hall of Fame inductions with Devin Hester, Steve McMichael and Julius Peppers being part of this year’s class.

More than anything, the Bears believe they are ready to turn a corner. That’s quite a change after a combined 10-24 record in their first two seasons under coach Matt Eberflus and general manager Ryan Poles.

“We have a good thing here,” Eberflus said. “We have a good brotherhood, a good spirit. Obviously you’ve heard about our culture and the cohesiveness of our group. That showed at the end of last year. That showed. is shown through adversity, and it’s going to show again this year.”

Eberflus is no stranger to “Hard Knocks”. He was Indianapolis’ defensive coordinator in 2021 when the Colts became the first team to appear during the regular season.

“We had a really positive attitude about it,” Eberflus said. “We know we had some really good people in the building and our message was going to be: who we are and how we operate. Nobody changes the way they act, nobody changes what they do, we just focus on our work and they’re going to have some special interest stories that they’ll do, and I think some of them are really good. And we have a lot of that here in our building, so I’m excited to see that.

Swift was with Detroit when the Lions were introduced in 2022. He took issue with the way his relationship with running backs coach Duce Staley was portrayed. A scene where he was challenged to fight for extra yards could have made viewers question his toughness.

“They just tried to paint a different story than my relationship with Coach Staley,” he said. “But it was a cool experience. I’ll put it like that.

Having extra cameras could be a distraction, especially when the Bears are trying to sign a rookie quarterback. Then again, Williams is no stranger to attention. USC’s 2022 Heisman Trophy winner has been in the public eye for years.

“He’s comfortable in his own skin, he knows who he is,” Eberflus said.

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