Bears open NFL preseason vs. Denver, Manning

As far as preseason schedules go, the Bears have a pretty interesting one this year.

Coach Lovie Smith's team opens the preseason against the Denver Broncos and their new quarterback, Peyton Manning, the second weekend in August (9-12) at Soldier Field.

Bears quarterback Jay Cutler and his new wide receiver, Brandon Marshall, both played for the Broncos from 2006-08. In their last two seasons together in Denver, Marshall caught 206 passes for 2,590 yards and 13 touchdowns, and both players went to the Pro Bowl.

Exact dates and times for all preseason games will be announced at a later date.

In their second preseason game, the weekend of Aug. 16-19, the Bears host the Washington Redskins, who are expected to draft Baylor's Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Robert Griffin III with the second overall pick later this month.

The Bears play their final two preseason games on the road. They face the Super Bowl champion New York Giants and Eli Manning, Peyton's younger brother, in a nationally televised game on Aug. 24. They finish up the preseason at Cleveland against the Browns on Thursday, Aug. 30. It will mark the ninth straight preseason in which the Bears have finished up against the Browns.

The games against the Broncos, Redskins and Browns will be produced and broadcast by the Chicago Bears Network in high definition. Each of those games will be shown live on WFLD-TV in Chicago and stations throughout the Midwest. All four preseason games will be broadcast on WBBM radio (670-AM) with Jeff Joniak handling play-by-play and former Bears guard Tom Thayer providing analysis.

The regular-season schedule is expected to be announced later this month, but the Bears already know which teams they will play. In addition to home and away games against the Lions, Packers and Vikings, the Bears host the Panthers, Texans, Colts, Rams and Seahawks. They will be on the road against the Cardinals, Cowboys, Jaguars, 49ers and Titans.