CANTON, Ohio — With the Hall of Fame game between the Bears and Texans in a weather-related delay Thursday, ESPN asked Bears president Kevin Warren and general manager Ryan Poles to join Joe Buck and Troy Aikman in its broadcast booth.
There was nothing especially revelatory, though Warren reiterated his ideal timeline for the new stadium opening for the 2028 season and left open the possibilities of both the Chicago Parks Department’s lakefront property south of Soldier Field and the 326-acre property the Bears own in Arlington Heights.
“It’s exactly where I thought we would be,” Warren said of where the endeavor stands. “These are massive projects. The goal is still shovels in the ground in 2025 and opening in 2028.
“The focus is the museum campus downtown. That’s the most beautiful piece of property in the United States… We also are the largest landowner in Arlington Heights, so that’s still an opportunity.”
The questions for Poles were more about his rebuild coming to fruition this year and the high expectations for rookie quarterback Caleb Williams and the team.
“It’s taken some patience early on,” Poles said. “To give Caleb, a rookie quarterback, weapons around him to build confidence fast is a big deal. We just want to get him settled in early to make plays, and the thing is to lean on the guys around him. You don’t have to do everything right away.
“He’s had a lot of pressure on him early on being a big-time recruit coming out of high school and elevating his game in college. He’s very comfortable in his own skin, confident in his talent and believes in himself. And he brings people together.”
The Bears lead the Texans 21-17 with 3:31 in the third quarter as both teams wait in the locker room for word on whether the game will resume.