The Bears have one more practice before officially closing training camp for 2024 and beginning preparations for the Tennessee Titans. Wednesday?s shelled session featured a healthy dose of team drills with the final 53-man roster (and 16-man practice squad) finally set.
Bears head coach Matt Eberflus, linebacker T.J. Edwards, and tight end Cole Kmet all spoke ahead of practice. General Manager Ryan Poles addressed the media after practice.
Bears Training Camp Notes: Ryan Poles & Matt Eberflus in Lockstep
Ryan Poles Touts Matt Eberflus? Resilience
The 2024 campaign will mark the third for Poles and Eberflus, and the team looks very different than it did before they took over. Poles? systematic tearing down and rebuilding of the Bears? roster did not cost Eberflus (or Poles for that matter) his job.
Through it all, Eberflus? message has seemed to stick.
Poles cited the connection that Eberflus has built with everyone and the coach?s ?resilience? when asked for his strongest impression of the head coach.
For his part, Eberflus knows he still has things he needs to improve at, citing working on his connection with offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. It is a similar position to Williams and most of the offense.
The general manager head coach, and offensive coordinator are in lockstep in that regard as well. They all want Williams to focus on trusting his playmakers to do just that, relying on his innate abilities only when needed.
Everyone knows that this team is built to compete, which inherently amplifies an already-blistering spotlight on them.
Cole Kmet Echoes Brett Rypien
Waldron?s ability to teach the offense also came up again on Wednesday. Former backup QB Brett Rypien was brought in to battle for the QB2 role but also to help teach the offense. He has previous experience with the Bears OC from their time together with the Seattle Seahawks.
Rypien spoke highly of Waldron and his ability to relay the offense in a way that was easily digestible in his last presser before cuts.
Kmet expressed very similar sentiments on Wednesday.
?I’ve been impressed by how he installs and how he teaches the offense,? Kmet told reporters on Wednesday. ?I think it really gets through well to the players. So, obviously, a really smart dude. A guy that likes to use a ton of different personnel groupings, and we’ve seen that throughout camp, which has been really cool. Putting guys in good positions that they can succeed in. So, yeah, all those type of things.
?Just really been impressed with his teaching aspect and teaching guys football in the right way. And, obviously, having some rookies, that really helps out.?
Waldron is Kmet?s third offensive coordinator so, at least when it comes to the Bears, his comments hold a little more weight. Kmet?s first OC, Bill Lazor, was an extension of former head coach Matt Nagy.
There was never any consistency to the offense under Luke Getsy, who was Kmet?s second OC and is now with the Las Vegas Raiders.
If the Bears are as successful as they believe they can be, Waldron will be as key as Williams.
New Guys in Town
The Bears announced a 14-man practice squad roster on August 28. News of several successful claims emerged in the aftermath.
They were awarded defensive lineman Sam Roberts, long snapper Scott Daly, and wide receiver Samori Toure. Each of the claims corresponds with a current Bears player who is dealing with an injury.
Daly (Detroit Lions) and Toure (Green Bay Packers) arrive from division rivals.
Originally an undrafted free agent with the Dallas Cowboys in 2018, Daly broke through with the Lions in 2021 and served as the team?s long snapper through 2023.
Toure was a seventh-round pick by the Packers in 2022, Poles? first season at the helm of the Bears. The wideout has caught 13 passes for 160 yards and one touchdown in his young career.
Roberts a 2022 sixth-round pick by the New England Patriots, has 12 career appearances.
Bears Numbers Game
There were a couple of notable jersey number changes after cuts were made. First, Rypien?s No. 11 was taken by wide receiver/kick returner DeAndre Carter. Carter has never worn No. 11 before in his six-year NFL career.
That could be a strong indicator that the 28-year-old Rypien is a long shot to return to the team this season.
The other is practice squad cornerback Reddy Steward.
Steward, who recently sat down with Clocker Sports to discuss a variety of topics, went from No. 46 to No. 27. The latter previously belonged to fill-in cornerback Greg Stroman, who did not survive this season?s cutdowns.
It was similarly notable that the Bears gave the No. 52 to trade acquisition Darrell Taylor. That number previously belonged to practice squad staple Khalid Kareem.
Kareem was waived with an injury settlement along with receiver Freddie Swain on August 23.
Training Camp Injury Round-Up and Former Bears News
Injuries remain a storyline heading into the first week of the regular season. The Bears encouragingly got starting safety Kevin Byard and backup offensive lineman Ryan Bates back in the mix, the latter in a limited capacity.
Unfortunately for the Bears, top backup defensive tackle Zacch Pickens is still sidelined with a groin issue.
Star defensive end Montez Sweat and wide receiver Keenan Allen also did side work.
Due to the light nature of the practice, it is difficult to discern the seriousness of Sweat?s injury, though he did begin practice with the team only to move to side work as the session progressed.
Eberflus has admitted there was concern about Pickens? availability for Week 1 and the trade for Chris Williams is evidence of that.
Eberflus said Allen had a ?cleat issue? and a sore foot but is not in doubt versus Tennessee.
Veteran long snapper Pat Scales is dealing with a back injury and was placed on injured reserve, meaning he will miss at least the first four games of the season. The Bears had some issues with Scales? previous fill-in Cameron Lyons, and brought in Daly instead.
Eberflus also announced that offensive tackle Larry Borom and pass rusher Jacob Martin were going on IR. Both are designated to return.
Martin?s eventual return is one to watch with the Bears? rostering six edge defenders already.
The Bears parted with several familiar names from 2023, including 2022 seventh-round offensive lineman Ja’Tyre Carter, who signed with the Carolina Panthers practice squad. The Bears have moved on from several players who played significant roles in 2023. That is a testament to the overall depth of the roster.