The Chicago Bears will kick off the preseason against the Houston Texans in the Hall of Fame Game on Thursday, Aug. 1 at 7 p.m. CT in Canton, Ohio.
It doesn’t really come as a surprise considering Chicago has three players being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year — return specialist Devin Hester, defensive tackle Steve McMichael and defensive end Julius Peppers, who will be enshrined on Saturday, Aug. 3.
Houston is represented by wide receiver Andre Johnson, who’s also being inducted alongside those three. Johnson is the first Texans player to be elected to the Hall of Fame.
The rest of the 2024 class includes Dwight Freeney, Randy Gradishar and Patrick Willis.
The Bears and Texans will also face each other during the regular season, so this is the first of two meetings. This could mark Caleb Williams’ Chicago debut (although starters typically don’t play in the Hall of Fame Game).
This will be the first of four preseason games for the Bears.