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BOURBONNAIS, Ill. -- The general vibe given off by defensive end Akiem Hicks and linebacker Jerrell Freeman -- the two Bears defenders made available to the media on Wednesday -- was of low-key optimism.  A Bears defense beset by injuries last year ranked 24th in points allowed and only managed 11 turnovers in 2016. But Hicks and Freeman both see bigger things for this defense after general manager Ryan Pace retooled it with a number of veteran free agent signings.  Specifically, Hicks believes the Bears' defense has enough been-there, done-that players to be the catalyst for victories.  “Sometimes, it’s like a second nature, something that you have inside you,” Hicks said. “You just want to

The Chicago Bears are coming off their worst season in decades and the pressure could be on coach John Fox if there's no improvement. ''You can only speak to what you've done in the past,'' Fox said. While plenty of attention will be on the QBs, Fox's future is one of Chicago's biggest story lines.

The Bears are at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais for training camp, but how many returning players can you name? Who left in the offseason? Who stayed? Take our 17-question quiz: YES! Cutler was released by the Bears in March after eight seasons with the team, and he subsequently announced his retirement from football and joined Fox Sports as a broadcaster. His first national on-air broadcast will come Aug. 27 near his current place of residence in Nashville, Tenn. The contest: Bears at Titans in the third preseason game at Nissan Stadium. NO! Cutler was released by the Bears in March after eight seasons with the team, and he subsequently announced his retirement from football and joined

Notre Dame and Wisconsin have not met on the football field since 1964, but that drought in the series could come to an end in the somewhat near future. The Chicago Tribune reports the two schools are discussing plans for a potential football series that would be played in Chicago’s Soldier Field, home of the NFL’s Chicago Bears. Notre Dame last played in Soldier Field in 2012 when they played Miami as part of Notre Dame’s Shamrock Series of games traveling around the country.

Jerrell Freeman (50) saved a man’s life in the Austin airport over the weekend. Saves are more a baseball stat than a football one, but Chicago Bears linebacker Jerrell Freeman got a save at the Austin airport on Sunday. Freeman saved a man choking on his food at a restaurant inside the airport, the Chicago Tribune reported.

Linebacker Jerrell Freeman was enjoying one more indulgent meal -- a chopped brisket sandwich -- in an Austin, Texas, airport before reporting to Chicago Bears training camp later this week. Fortunately for another man at the airport, Freeman was there to save him when he starting choking. The linebacker saw Marcus Ryan shoot up out of his chair at the Salt Lick Taco Bar -- "like he had forgotten something," Freeman said -- and noticed the man was in distress. "He went around the table and started to look a little frantic. I'm thinking, 'Man, this is odd. Maybe one of his kids walked off and he can't find his kid or something?'" Freeman told the Chicago Tribune. An older woman unsuccessfully

With training camp starting next week, CSN Chicago’s Chris Boden and JJ Stankevitz are looking at three burning questions for each of the Bears’ position groups heading into Bourbonnais. Friday's unit: the offensive line.  1. Will Kyle Long and Josh Sitton flip spots, and will it be effective? One of the more intriguing storylines to come out of the Bears’ offseason program was the possibility of a Kyle Long-Josh Sitton guard swap, with Long moving from right to left and Sitton to left to right. The prevailing wisdom is that Long’s athleticism would be better suited for the pulls needed at left guard, while Sitton has made Pro Bowls at both positions. But is it prudent for the Bears to make this

With training camp starting next week, CSN Chicago’s Chris Boden and JJ Stankevitz are looking at three burning questions for each of the Bears’ position groups heading into Bourbonnais. Thursday's unit: the tight ends. 1. Will Zach Miller make the 53-man roster? Miller didn’t play a single down from 2012-14, and has missed seven games in two seasons with the Bears, but he’s been productive when on the field: 110 targets, 81 receptions, 925 yards and nine touchdowns. But the Bears signed Dion Sims to an $18 million contract and then drafted Adam Shaheen in the second round of the draft, moves that seemingly put Miller in a precarious position heading into Bourbonnais. Not helping Miller’s case

The Chicago Bears on Wednesday signed quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, their first-round draft pick and the No. 2 overall selection in April. While Trubisky is considered the franchise's quarterback of the future, despite the price the Bears paid to draft him he's not expected to start this season. Veteran Mike Glennon was signed in the offseason to take over for the departed Jay Cutler, and he gives the Bears time to develop Trubisky.

LAKE FOREST – It’s been over half-decade since they even had the chance to play for a shot at the top of the mountain in the National Football League. Doing so in 2017 as the franchise continues a rebuild will be difficult, but that doesn’t mean the team doesn’t have their mind on the Lombardi Trophy. Ever team does at this time of year, when the players start returning to the Chicago area for training camp to begin in Bourbonnais. If you follow the Bears’ Twitter account, it appears that they’re specifically going for the “Throne” of the league this year and in the near future. Before the debut of the seventh season of HBO’s critically acclaimed show ‘Game of Thrones,’ the team decided to create