What's next for the Bears following the 2026 NFL Draft

The 2026 NFL Draft is in the books, where the Chicago Bears added some new players to the roster. But there's still plenty of offseason action on the way. Outside of the on-field action with rookie minicamp, OTAs and veteran minicamp, the NFL is also gearing up for its 2026 schedule release in the coming weeks.

The Bears welcomed seven new rookies to the roster: Safety Dillon Thieneman, center Logan Jones, tight end Sam Roush, wide receiver Zavion Thomas, cornerback Malik Muhammad, linebacker Keyshaun Elliott and defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg. Here's a look at the Bears' upcoming 2026 offseason slate, including rookie minicamp, OTAs and mandatory minicamp. Rookie minicamp: May 1-4 or May 8-11 Following the 2026 NFL Draft, the Bears can hold their three-day, post-draft rookie minicamp either May 1-4 or May 8-11, where new rookies will hit the practice field at Halas Hall for the first time.

There will also be undrafted free agents looking to earn a roster spot. Schedule release: May The NFL will be releasing the 2026 schedule sometime in May, which usually falls around the second week of the month. While we already know exactly who the Bears will be playing next season , we'll soon learn exactly when they'll be playing those teams, as well as how many prime-time games they'll have, which should be quite a few after their successful 2025 season.

OTA workouts: May 27-29, June 2-4 The Bears will meet as a team, new rookies included, beginning May 27 for the first of six voluntary OTA practices at Halas Hall, which will include veterans and rookies. They'll meet May 27-29 and June 2-4 Mandatory minicamp: June 9-11 The Bears will hold their mandatory minicamp from June 9-11. This marks the final organized set of practices before training camp in late July.