The Chicago Bears' offense is banking on these 4 key factors working out in its favor during training camp
We are one day away from veterans reporting back to Halas Hall and then another day away from the first official day of training camp for the Chicago Bears.Optimism is rising quickly for this team once again but there's still some major factors on both sides of the ball that need to be analyzed some […]
We are one day away from veterans reporting back to Halas Hall and then another day away from the first official day of training camp for the Chicago Bears.
Optimism is rising quickly for this team once again but there's still some major factors on both sides of the ball that need to be analyzed some more over the next few days.
On the offensive side of the ball, the players are still getting a feel for Ben Johnson's extensive scheme and some players already need to catch up for lost time. So, let's get into some of the biggest storylines this offense will be hoping clear up in the first few days of camp.
Caleb Williams hits the ground running with the new offense
The last time we saw this offense and Caleb Williams, the results were pretty strong against the starting defense, which was a great sign going into the break.
The best thing to do now is to hit the ground running during training camp, especially Williams and his mastery of the offense. There's a little over two weeks until the Miami Dolphins come to town for joint practice, which isn't a lot of time when you consider the team won't be practicing every day.
Williams can't afford to take any steps back when it comes to handling the offensive operation. The coaches are already trying to load this guy up with a lot and so far he's been eating it up while putting good work on tape.
If Williams and this offense come out of the gate humming once pads come on, it'll be a very encouraging sign to kick off camp. Having a few extra weapons finally on the field will help too, which leads us to our next point.
Luther Burden III and Colston Loveland finally get on the field
This is one of the biggest offensive concerns heading into camp. Colston Loveland and Luther Burden III each were sidelined during OTAs and minicamp due to separate reasons and have yet to participate with the full team on the field.
Both rookies have missed valuable time to actually practice the offense and build critical trust with their quarterback and the other offensive starters.
Burden was on the field during rookie minicamp earlier in the offseason but suffered a soft tissue injury that prevented him from getting on the field once the entire team was practicing.
"It's a shame that he got dinged up and missed all that time, because for a young player, it's really where you get the most reps, and you can get better in a hurry that way," Johnson said about Burden. "And that's really for any player on this team."
With Loveland's case, it's a little different. The team's first-round pick has been progressing back from a shoulder surgery to repair an AC joint injury suffered during his final season at Michigan. Last week, Loveland was able to give a short update.
"It's been good. There haven't really been live bullets flying yet," Loveland said, via Aaron McMann. "We'll really know in camp once I get out there, doing a lot more stuff."
Left tackle battle is a healthy competition, but gets decided quickly
This is a two-sided storyline. The Bears' offense will first need to have Braxton Jones cleared and back on the field to truly open up the competition for the starting left tackle position protecting Williams' blindside.
As for the competition itself, that will be between Jones, second-round rookie Ozzy Trapilo, and second-year Kiran Amegadjie.
Getting this position decided in a healthy, but quick, manner is the best outcome for the entire offense. Last year in training camp, the Bears had too many moving parts trying to determine the starting line up-front. Establishing the starting five in quick fashion allows Williams and the other players to get accustomed to who will start.
When it comes to determine who will win the battle, the team's head coach isn't looking too far beyond who's the better protector on the outside.
"To me, the No. 1 job of an offensive tackle—doesn't matter right or left—is to pass protect," Johnson said. "You need to be able to block their best pass rusher one-on-one. To me, that's the No. 1 job and everything we can get out of them in the run game will be gravy on top of it. But we've got to find out who the best pass protector is, the most consistent pass protector is, and really that's for all five guys up front."
Rostered RBs prove another addition isn't needed
Immediately following the draft, this was a much bigger conversation but still one worth bringing back up heading into training camp.
After being connected with many of the top backs in the class, the Bears waited until the seventh-round to add to the backfield by drafting Kyle Monangai, a physically productive player out of Rutgers who also excels in pass protection.
Having Monangai gives the Bears some insurance behind Roschon Johnson, who enters into camp as the RB2 in the power-back role complementing D'Andre Swift.
When asked about adding to the room via an outside veteran free agent, general manager Ryan Poles made it a point to keep the door open based on how the staff feels about the players currently on the roster.
"I know we really want to see this new coaching staff with the players we have to see if they believe that they can help us," Poles said back in May. "But, again, we'll always keep our eye on the short list to see if we need to bring someone in to create competition and raise the level of talent in that room."
