The Chicago Bears’ defense starred in another training camp practice.? The offense continued to flash potential, albeit while mired in inconsistency. Injuries are surely playing a part in that, though to what extent is unclear given they are occurring on both sides of the ball.
With three more weeks of training camp and one month before the regular season opener versus the Tennessee Titans, there is an air of precaution with the injury absences.
Still, the sooner the injured players get back the better.
Head Coach Matt Eberflus spoke to reporters after practice, as did tight end Marcedes Lewis, linebacker Trumaine Edmunds, left guard Teven Jenkins, and several defensive assistant coaches.
Bears Training Camp Notes: Caleb Williams & The 1s
Caleb Williams to Start vs Bills in Preseason Week 1
Eberflus announced that the available starters (more on that to come) would play versus the Bills on Saturday. He declined to get into specifics regarding the number of snaps, instead saying they would see a select number of plays.
?A little bit less reps with the 1s today because we’re playing the 1s in the Buffalo game,? Eberflus said in his opening statement after Thursday?s practice. ?We’re excited about that. Guys are juiced about it in terms of we have a really good plan and a good process for that. And we have a range of plays that we feel that are going to be good for those particular groups. I’m not going to get into talking about numbers.
?We want to see a good flow and a good rhythm to it. But the starters that are available to us will play on Saturday. And really we just got to really focus on now that preparation you have before the game, so that’s what we’re mocking this for; getting ourselves ready to play a game in the preseason.
Eberflus said they would hold walkthroughs on Thursday evening, Friday, and before Saturday?s tilt. He also reiterated the significance of the game for the players down the depth chart.
The focus will still be on Caleb Williams. So what is Eberflus looking for from his rookie QB?
?Just more what we see now,? Eberflus said before elaborating. ?Where he is in terms of the progress, and this is his first time in live action. He’s been getting a lot of good reps with our [No.] 1 defense, so I think it’ll feel similar to him.
?I really feel that when it’s live there in the pocket, to be able to man maneuver in the pocket, ride the pocket, escape either on the outside, B-gaps ? all those things ? and be able to deliver the ball. Keep your eyes downfield, and really just the operation of it getting in and out of the Huddle. No pre-snap penalties. Just clean operation.?
To that end, the operation has gotten cleaner. After being littered with flags, particularly false starts, the Bears have had fewer such infractions in their last two practices.
There is more work to do. But it is trending the same way as their previous cadence issues.
Where the question marks remain is the actual play between the white lines. Williams threw multiple interceptions in Thursday?s practice. That it came on truncated reps is cause for some concern.
The injury issues up front make the situation even more daunting. The good news is Darnell Wright went through a full practice.
Even the blow of Nate Davis? likely absence is softened by Ryan Bates? presence.
Teven Jenkins Not Overly Concerned With Bears Injuries
The 2023 season was derailed early by injuries, both to the secondary and offensive line just as the Bears are experiencing in 2024 training camp. Teven Jenkins missed the first four games of the 2023 campaign.
He went on to appear in 12 games, starting 11. Jenkins exited Tuesday?s practice session early.
But he has returned to the fray over the last two sessions on Wednesday and Thursday. He also said there is no sense of ?here we go again.?
?I wouldn’t say so,? Jenkins told Clocker Sports. ?It’s football. You sign up for a sport that’s like, what, 90% injuries all the time? It’s what’s going to happen. People get banged up. You?re gonna have people up and down throughout the whole year. It’s about uh being available and being there for your teammates right now. So being there throughout camp, getting those reps, learning from each other and being there for each other.?
Jenkins has dealt with injuries throughout his career, going back to college.
He has been one of the more consistent players ? in terms of availability and performance ? in training camp so far. The Bears need him to stay healthy. They need to be able to put a consistent five in front of Williams.
While Bates sliding to guard would be a hit for the Bears at center, where he was in competition with Coleman Shelton, it would also make Davis an expensive backup.
Even the solutions at this point seem to present further questions for the Bears.
Marcedes Lewis? Veteran Presence
Lewis is in his 19th NFL season. He has appeared in 268 games with 225 starts, including appearing in all 17 games with the Bears in 2023 and starting all 34 regular-season games for the Green Bay Packers in 2021 and 2022.
And yet, Lewis was very clear to say that he needed to be at training camp rather than sign a deal later on in the process. He is another of the more consistently present participants.
Lewis also echoed a sentiment that has been repeated about the offense?s ?stuggles?
?For one, that’s what camp is for, right?? Lewis told reporters on Thursday. ?It’s just building up those calluses for war. And when you say ?struggle,? it just depends on what vantage point you’re looking from, right? So one day, the defense can have an amazing day, right? And the next day the offense can have an amazing day, and then sometimes we’re just going to meet in the middle, right? And so I look at it as just experience and lessons, and as long as we’re peaking at the right time, it was all worth it.?
He also said, ?Caleb Williams,? when asked what gave the players confidence that the clunkiness of practice belied the fact they were trending in the right direction while acknowledging there would be ups and downs.
?Obviously, with a young quarterback we’re going to have those moments in a passing game. It’s about being cohesive and the timing of it all, and we’re still working out those kinks. But as far as what we’re going to be able to do, we’re not even really worried about it. We got the guys in the positions to do work.
?We’re just going to lean on the work uh we understand that not every day is going to be beautiful out there. But if you keep working through, come September, it will be just fine.?
Defensive Assistants Weigh In on Training Camp Storylines
Safeties Coach Andre Curtis offered high praise for Jaquan Brisker when asked, aside from health, what the next step was for the third-year DB.
?I think he’s growing and evolving as a leader,? Curtis told Clocker Sports on Thursday. ?He’s been more productive, we’ve been playing him in different spots moving around. He’s been really versatile, so I just think he’s just rounding out his game which is really cool to see.?
Brisker, who noted staying on the field as a goal for himself.
But he also touted the switch from playing solely strong safety to left and right with Kevin Byard in the Bears? retooled backend.
Defensive Passing Game Coordinator Jon Hoke offered similar sentiments about Tyrique Stevenson, noting ?formational awareness? and situations as part of his development.
?Just get back to the field, keep growing,? Hoke told Clocker Sports after Thursday?s practice. ?He grew last year. And again, just continue to grow with formational awareness, all those type ? situational awareness, down-and-distances, what situation is at in the game. Those are all things that you got to always continue to grow.?
Stevenson has been candid about finding his way last season after early struggles.
He recorded all four of his interceptions in a six-week span, missing one of the contests in that window. Stevenson has missed several practices. But there has been very little concern about communication issues when players return.
Nickelbacks Coach David Overstreet II?was asked the same question about Kyler Gordon. Another third-year player, Gordon has already flashed star potential.
?Ky’s goal is to be All-Pro and the Pro Bowl. That’s his goal, and he told me that’s his goal so I’m gonna do whatever I gotta do to get him there,? Overstreet told Clocker Sports on Thursday. ?One of the biggest things for him to make that step is ? well it?s two things really. One, we got to be playing meaningful games at the end of the year because everybody got to see him.
?The other thing is, he?s got to take the ball away more. He usually has about three or four a year. We got to get that thing up to like five, six, seven, so that way when you see his numbers, he had the ball in his hands, and people see it.?
Gordon has spoken about upping his interceptions.
Gordon had two interceptions in 2023 after logging three as a rookie in 2022. Staying on the field would be a good start to increasing that production.
Gordon has missed at least three games in each of his first two seasons. Muscle ?tightness? has sidelined him in training camp since July 25. Overstreet noted how involved Gordon still is in many aspects of practice, including walkthroughs, despite being injured.
Undrafted rookie free agent Reddy Steward has been another source of optimism for Overstreet.
?I really like Reddy,? Overstreet told Clocker Sports. ?For one, the rookie surprised me. I didn’t think he was going to do the stuff he was doing. But he is very smart.
?Only Kyler, in my group, picks up the install faster than Reddy. So he?s very, very smart, he has really good instincts, and it doesn?t get too big. He doesn’t care who?s in front of him. You see him out there covering Keenan [Allen] today, and he doesn’t care. He just goes out there and lines up and plays.?
Steward enters the league with more collegiate ball production with nine interceptions to Gordon?s two. But Steward?s most significant attribute at this point may be his ability to step in for Gordon if need be, though the Bears have tried several players there to be clear.
Bonus Notes: Injury Roundup & Former Bears News
With little in the way of tangible updates, we will convert the daily injury list to streamline the listings like so:
- Brisker, Davis, Gordon, Byron Cowart, Collin Johnson, Jacob Martin, Montez Sweat, Pat Scales, Roschon Johnson, and Theo Benedet all remained sidelined.
- Adrian Colbert exited practice but no updates yet
In former Bears news, Nick Foles officially retired after an 11-year career, including two seasons with Chicago (2020 and 2021). Foles spent the 2022 season with the Indianapolis Colts, his last stint in the league.
The MVP of Super Bowl LII, Foles went 3-5 as a starter with the Bears, spanning the end of Mitchell Trubisky?s tenure and the start of Justin Fields?.
He will officially retire as a Philadelphia Eagle, with whom he won SB LII, in Week 2.
Former Bears second-round pick Anthony Miller is expected to sign a contract with the Baltimore Ravens, per Bleacher Report?s Jordan Schultz on August 8. The 29-year-old signed a reserve/futures contract with the Kansas City Chiefs in January. The Chiefs released Miller in May.
The No. 51 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Miller would reunite with former Bears teammates Roquan Smith and Eddie Jackson.
The Bears traded Smith to Baltimore in 2023. Jackson signed in free agency this offseason.