Caleb Williams and the offense dominate, defense responds in a big way, left tackle updates, and more from first week of Bears training camp
The Chicago Bears have wrapped up the first week of training camp following a wet practice on Saturday. The team will return to action on Monday in full pads but in the meantime, here are the top updates from the first week back at Halas Hall.
The Chicago Bears completed the first week of training camp at Halas Hall with four practice sessions from Wednesday through Saturday. The early returns from camp provided a mix of offensive dominance, standout defensive performances, and heated position competitions that will carry into next week.
The Bears will have the day off on Sunday before returning to practice on Monday. Monday’s session is expected to be in full pads, which will really ramp up the intensity. For the time being, let’s break down what we learned from the first week of camp.
Caleb Williams and the rest of the young offensive play-makers look more lethal than ever
The Bears offense looked dominant throughout the first three days of practice. Quarterback Caleb Williams looked much improved going into his second year under offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, while building strong chemistry with his top pass-catchers in wide receiver Rome Odunze, tight end Colston Loveland, wide receiver Luther Burden III, and wide receiver Kalif Raymond.
The passing game was sharp across the board through the first three days of camp, with Burden and Loveland drawing the most attention as second-year standouts who have looked unguardable at times during team and individual drills.
“Honestly, this is probably the best offense I’ve had in seven years as far as going against them,” veteran cornerback Jaylon Johnson said on Saturday. “They got a lot of speed. Caleb’s the best quarterback I’ve had since Nick Foles just as far as slinging. I feel like he’s doing his thing. You can see the accuracy, you can see the confidence throwing the ball in tight windows. It’s something that stood out to me. Top to bottom, I feel like they’re a confident group that believes in each other and believes in what they’re doing.”
Saturday told a different story, though. The Bears started practice inside the facility before moving outside in the rain for team drills, and the offense struggled in that environment. Williams did not look as flawless as he had earlier in the week, dealing with a few inaccurate passes and drops.
It was not the dominate day Bears had grown accustomed to watching after the first three days, but the inverse means it was finally a standout day for the defense.
Defense ends the week on a high note led by Jaylon Johnson and Coby Bryant
On the defensive side of the ball, cornerback Jaylon Johnson has looked great throughout the first week of camp, particularly in coverage. He recorded a couple of pass breakups and said he’s feeling a lot healthier coming off the injury that caused him to miss 10 games last season.
“Night and day,” Johnson said about the difference in his health this year compared to last year. “I needed a full offseason to get my legs back under me, to get scar tissue and things like that out. I feel really good, I feel good with my speed, I feel good with where I’m at laterally and changing directions. Just gotta keep stacking days, working on my technique and getting consistent, and just getting back to being dominant.”
The biggest standout defensively has been newcomer Coby Bryant, though calling his performance a surprise undersells the expectations team had considering they signed him to a top deal in free agency this offseason.
Bryant is already making a strong push to be a potential team captain, with several teammates looking up to him since his arrival. Saturday was his best practice yet since joining the Bears, capped off by an interception off Williams. Bryant talked about wanting to get one against the team’s starting quarterback back on Wednesday, and he finally did it to close out the week on a high note.
“That’s why I’m here – to bring guys along. We’ve got a ton of great players throughout this team, especially on defense as well,” Bryant said. “We want to be well known not just [because of] coach Ben and the offense, but especially powerful on defense as well. We want to create our name as far as turnovers, play style, mentality – that’s something we want to bring to this team.”
Defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo also deserves some recognition. Coming off a torn Achilles, the fact that he has participated fully throughout the first week of training camp is a great sign in itself. He has been mixing in as a rotational player behind defensive end Montez Sweat and defensive end Austin Booker, and the Bears are excited to see what he can do off the edge now that he’s fully healthy. We should start to see that show up next week when pads come on.
Left tackle rotation spins throughout the first week of camp
The left tackle competition has been more open than I expected. Going into camp, I expected Braxton Jones, the four-year starter whom the Bears re-signed this offseason, to have a clear runway as the potential starter.
Instead, the staff is treating the job as a genuine competition. Jones started with the first-team during the first couple of practices before offensive tackle Kiran Amegadjie took first-team reps on Friday and offensive tackle Jedrick Wills rotated in with the starters on Saturday. The Bears plan to take their time evaluating that spot.
The one player we haven’t seen rotate in on the left side yet is Theo Benedet, with Benedet spending his first week of camp on the right side behind Darnell Wright. As of now, it’s been a three-horse rotation between Jones, Amegadjie, and Wills. Again, once pads come on starting Monday, this competition will start to really heat up.
How the Bears have managed Kyler Gordon’s absence at the nickel position
The nickel cornerback position is also worth monitoring. Kyler Gordon continued to be sidelined throughout the entire first week on the PUP list with a calf injury. General manager Ryan Poles noted on Tuesday that Gordon’s injury has been “frustrating” for everyone involved with no timetable for his return.
In the meantime, Bears have rotated several players through the role, including Jaylon Jones, Josh Blackwell, Cam Lewis, and rookie Malik Muhammad. How that competition shakes out with Gordon on the sideline will be one of the top storylines heading into the second week of camp and time will tell when Gordon actually returns to the field.
Other notes from the first week of camp
- Second-year RB Kyle Monangai has missed three consecutive days of practice. There have been no updates yet about his status or potential injury he might be dealing with.
- Backup quarterback Tyson Bagent is developing a strong connection with wide receivers Jahdae Walker and rookie Zavion Thomas. Should be fun connections to watch once we get to preseason action.
- Rookie tight end Sam Roush has been working in from time to time with the first-team offense with Ben Johnson looking to lean more into 2-3 TE sets.
- Darnell Wright is going through camp without a new extension in place. The Bears have a window to get a deal done but Wright emphasized he wants to remain in Chicago for years to come.