The NFL will require teams to hold training camps at their facilities beginning in late July and will not allow them to conduct joint practices, according to a forthcoming memo from commissioner Roger Goodell reported on by NFL Network.
The Bears announced in January they were done holding camp in Bourbonnais, their summer home since 2002, but the rule against joint practices is an interruption to their plans. The team had planned to travel early for the preseason game in Denver and practice with former defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s Broncos for the week.
The Bears were eager to move training camp to Halas Hall after putting an estimated $100 million into renovations. They have ample field space and accommodations in Lake Forest, so the ruling is not an inconvenience in that regard.
For the nine teams that planned to continue holding training camp away from their facilities, however, it will require adjustment. The Cowboys, for example, normally start in Oxnard, Calif. At their facility in Texas, they have just one grass field.
The NFL still intends to hold preseason games as scheduled. The Bears open Aug. 15 against the Browns at Soldier Field.
