The Chicago Bears got tight end Gerald Everett back for their third practice of training camp, and only had a pair of reserves ? linebacker Noah Sewell and wide receiver Nsimba Webster ? as new additions to the report. Their early trend of strong attendance bodes well for the Hall of Fame game versus the Houston Texans on August 1.
But it also bodes well for the 2024 season. It has already helped them have a ?clean? operation in the early going of training camp.
Bears Training Camp Notes: Making the Routine Look Easy
Caleb Williams Coming Along Quickly in Bears Training Camp
The biggest takeaway from the Bears? third practice seems benign on its surface. Labeling something as ?routine? is almost synonymous with simple or even easy. But as Bears fans are well aware, the things that should have been simple were often anything but.
That is why talk about Caleb Williams? progression in training camp cannot be taken lightly. He is the No. 1 pick, and expectations have largely been set accordingly for him.
The Bears are taking a day-by-day approach.
Head Coach Matt Eberflus and Offensive Coordinator Shane Waldron want him to learn from every rep and show incremental progress. Williams said he wants to have it all down as soon as possible.
He is off to a good start, showcasing his pocket awareness and arm talent regularly. Williams does not throw as hard as his predecessor, Justin Fields.
He has, however, shown greater touch in the short and intermediate areas.
This is all being done at reduced speeds without pads on (which will change on July 26), something everyone has noted, specifically when asked to evaluate the pass protection and pass rush.
Williams returned from spring break with a better command of the offense and presence in the huddle, leaving Eberflus to note how clean the entire operation has been so far.
He said Williams was ?at the apex of that.?
We've got everything in front of us. pic.twitter.com/zqfigiw5PA
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) July 22, 2024
Teven Jenkins Notes D?Andre Swift?s Physicality
Bears running back D?Andre Swift has always been known as a speedster. He ranked eighth in yards per carry among qualifying running backs in 2023 at 4.6 yards per tote, per Pro Football Reference. Two running backs averaged more yards per carry and more rushes than he did: Christian McCaffrey and Kyren Williams.
Teammate and Bears starting left guard Teven Jenkins also noted Swift?s physicality.
?I’m very impressed by Swift right now,? Jenkins said after Monday?s practice. ?It’s a lot of hardnose ball he does. It’s very impactful what he’s going to do for offense. And he’s very quick, speedy, and he can he can run over you if he wanted to. So that’s a lot of things that he brings to the offense I’m very excited about it.?
Swift carries 215 pounds on his 5-foot-9 frame, making him solidly built despite not being considered a ?power back.?
Like with pass protection and the pass rush, Swift?s true power is yet to be seen.
But with his speed complemented by understated power and an ability to pose a significant threat out of the backfield, Swift is a multi-faceted back the likes of which the Bears have not had, perhaps, since Matt Forte. Forte was not a speed merchant like Swift.
Kyler Gordon on ?Seamless? Play With Jaylon Johnson
The Bears? defense has been ahead of the offense to start training camp, which is to be expected. They are returning nine of 11 starters and 10 players who were with the team in 2023 while the offense breaks in a rookie QB and four new options at the skill positions.
Two of those returning defensive players ? cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon ? present a formidable duo. Their potency is enhanced by their on-field chemistry. Johnson described the bond that he and Gordon share to explain how the benefits of that continuity.
Asked for his take on Johnson?s comments, Gordon agreed.
?It just looks seamless,? Gordon said. ?It’s nice to be able to have that type of team chemistry and stuff like that.
The former second-round pick, Gordon, said he has plenty of goals in mind. Among them, making the Pro Bowl and snagging ?five-plus? interceptions. But there might not be any as notable as his desire to improve his durability.
Gordon has missed at least three games in each of his two pro seasons.
Montez Sweat rightfully gets a lot of credit for helping turn around the Bears? defense in 2023. But the secondary getting healthy played an equally important role in that.
This season, Gordon?s versatility could benefit from increased flexibility from the defense as a whole. Safeties Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker will play sides rather than free and strong safety.
The additional disguising around him could help conceal Gordon?s plans on any given play.
DeMarcus Walker: Focused on ?Perfecting My Craft?
There was a drainage of leadership over the 2024 offseason for the Bears. Offensively, Cody Whitehair was one of the longest-tenured members of the organization ? not just the team ? while fellow lineman Lucas Patrick had become a steadying and supportive leader in the locker room.
Defensively, it was the departure of stalwart Eddie Jackson at safety and Justin Jones in free agency. Walker has been a vocal leader for the Bears since arriving in free agency in 2023.
However, he is taking a slightly different approach to the 2024 campaign.
?I feel like this year I’m pretty much kind of just letting a lot of guys fill their leadership roles instead of me kind of just being the one always tends to speak up. So I let KB, Kevin Byard, he speaks up, you know what I’m saying. Trumaine [Edmunds] and all those other guys, you know what I’m saying? When it’s my time to talk, it’s my time to talk. I feel like now it’s all about me perfecting my craft; putting DeMarcus first.?
Walker set a career-high with 7.0 sacks as a member of the Tennessee Titans in 2022, where he and Byard were teammates. The former had 3.5 sacks in his first season with the Bears and lost his starting role mid-way through the season after the Bears acquired Sweat.
He regained the role after Yannick Ngakoue suffered a broken ankle and is tracking to open the season opposite Sweat and the other starters. But they will still use his versatility.
?You can be a dangerous man if you can win outside and inside,? Walker said.
Tyson Bagent vs Brett Rypien vs Austin Reed
As with all of these notes, it is important to note how early in the process the Bears are. They had their first shelled practice on Monday and will not put on pads until Friday.
That being said, any preconceived notions about newcomer Brett Rypien threatening incumbent Tyson Bagent for the QB2 role may have been for not. Rypien has a preexisting relationship with Waldron.
But there has not been much of a competition on the field.
Bagent went 2-2 as the Bears? starter in place of an injured Justin Fields in 2023. That is the same record Rypien has in his career.
The latter?s role could be to help Williams? transition to the offense. As for undrafted rookie Austin Reed ? with whom Williams trained during the pre-draft process ? could be the true odd-man out if the Bears keep two quarterbacks and send one to the practice squad.