Patriots Announce Joint Practices With Bears August 15th and 16th

Robert Alvarez

7 years ago at 10:26 pm ET

David Butler II - USA TODAY Sports

The New England Patriots announced on Monday that they have reached an agreement with the Chicago Bears on a series of joint practices together in Foxborough on August 15th and 16th as a lead up to their preseason game at Gillette Stadium on August 18th.

The Patriots-Bears joint practices at Gillette are free and open to the public, by the way.

— Doug Kyed (@DougKyed) May 16, 2016

The joint practices continue a tradition by head coach Bill Belichick where he works with other franchises during training camp. In recent seasons the Patriots went to West Virginia to practice with the New Orleans Saints in 2015, and the Philadelphia Eagles came to Foxborough in 2014.

There are multiple connections between the Bears and Patriots going into the session. Bears guard Kyle Long tweeted this message upon learning the news, his brother Chris was recently signed by the Patriots during free agency.

https://twitter.com/Ky1eLong/status/732257694816571392?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

There are also a number of current players that have played with both franchises, to name a few include tight end Martellus Bennett who played for the Bears from 2013-2015, and defensive tackle Akiem Hicks who played for the Patriots last season. Also returning to Foxborough is former backup quarterback Brian Hoyer, now behind Jay Cutler.