Bears full preseason slate has been be announced – Ben Johnson hints at other joint practices beyond confirmed one with the Bengals
The Chicago Bears are starting to map out the schedule with key dates to face off against other teams in controlled, and uncontrolled environments, ahead of the 2026 regular season.
With OTAs continuing this week for the Chicago Bears, the team is also starting the process of mapping out the rest of the offseason schedule leading up to the start of the regular season. Part of which includes the preseason slate, which was officially announced by the NFL on Wednesday.
Here’s the three-game preseason schedule the Bears will have along with the confirmed times and dates for each game.
- Aug. 15 vs. Cleveland Browns (noon CT)
- Aug. 22 at Cincinnati Bengals (6:00 pm CT)
- Aug. 29 at Tennessee Titans (5:00 pm CT)
Another key part of the preseason schedule is the opportunity to hold joint practices with the opposing team in a controlled environment. It’s something head coach Ben Johnson is a big advocate for after having two joint practices last year during the preseason. Speaking with the media on Wednesday, Johnson hinted that multiple sessions are in the works once again.
Ben Johnson hints the Chicago Bears will hold multiple joint practices during the preseason
“Potentially,” Johnson said when asked if the team will have multiple joint practices. “We’re still working through the scheduling right now… There’s potentially more than just one this year.”
One has been confirmed to be in the works with the Cincinnati Bengals, which Bengals head coach Zac Taylor revealed to the media on Tuesday. The Bears and Bengals held a joint practice ahead of the 2024 season that was a rain-soaked day that resulted in multiple injuries for the Bengals. This time around, both teams will be hoping for better weather and a more rewarding session.
“He’s been great,” Taylor said of working with Johnson again to plan this out. “So, he and I will iron that out over the next couple of days, but they’ll come here.”
As for the other joint practice, it will be between hosting the Browns or travelling early to Tennessee if Chicago wants to hold another joint practice session. Planning one against the Titans would be the most likely option based on head coach Robert Saleh’s feelings on having those joint sessions.
“Yeah, the goal – we haven’t ironed out the full details yet – but the goal is to inter-squad with all three teams,” Saleh previously told the media.
Last year during joint practices, multiple Miami Dolphins players publicly complained about the intensity the Bears brought to the practice with one player calling it “fake” toughness. One team went on to win 11 games and win their division, the other missed playoffs and had a full regime change.
Clearly one team had the better approach. The Bengals and Browns/Titans better be ready to buckle up in a few months because that won’t change.