Bears to be featured on 'Hard Knocks'

The Chicago Bears are the subject of this year's "Hard Knocks" series on HBO, the team announced Thursday.

This season's first episode will air Aug. 6. Chicago is the first team with a rookie quarterback drafted first overall to be selected for the training camp edition of "Hard Knocks" since the Cleveland Browns with Baker Mayfield in 2018.

"We are honored to feature such an iconic NFL franchise on 'Hard Knocks,'" NFL Films senior director and supervising producer Shannon Furman said in a statement. "The Chicago Bears have a talented roster, coaching staff, and front office all determined to match the expectations of a hungry fan base. We are thankful to the entire organization for opening their doors to us for what is sure to be an exciting training camp."

The Bears were one of the NFL's most interesting teams this offseason, as they drafted Caleb Williams first overall in April. The team also used a top-10 pick on receiver Rome Odunze and traded for Pro Bowl wideout Keenan Allen, among other moves. Chicago is seeking its first winning season since 2018.

The Denver Broncos and New Orleans Saints were the other teams that could have been selected for the training camp version of "Hard Knocks" in 2024, as
they also don't have first-year head coaches, haven't been to the playoffs in the last two years, and haven't featured on the long-running HBO series in the past 10 years. The series followed the New York Jets in 2023.

HBO has expanded "Hard Knocks" beyond camp. In addition to implementing an in-season version of the series three years ago, the network recently announced it's featuring the New York Giants in an offseason edition of "Hard Knocks," with the first episode debuting July 2.