The Chicago Bears held their first practice with pads on Friday in front of fans at Halas Hall, and the intensity was clearly up.
They will have an extra session in protections on Saturday before a day of rest on Sunday. Here is our report from the camp after the training and interviews.
Caleb Williams Watch
When defensive end DeMarcus Walker and tight end Gerald Everett got into a small verbal skirmish during a full-team period, one of the players who stepped up was rookie quarterback Caleb Williams.
The move, while perhaps inadvisable for a player on whom so much hope is pinned, left an impression on center Ryan Bates.
“He’s my quarterback. I love that. I love that mentality,” Bates said. “He’s got to be smarter, though, because we can’t accept that, God forbid.”
“But I love it when he steps up and gets in the middle of it. That’s who he is. He’s a lively guy. He wants to go out there, he wants to compete. Yeah, I love him so far.”
Williams also left a good final impression on the fans in attendance by leading a touchdown drive in a two-minute end-of-practice drill. He threw a third-down pass to Rome Odunze to keep the streak alive and followed with a dart up the middle to Keenan Allen.
After an incomplete pass to a wide-open Odunze, he ran away from the defense and hit Tyler Scott for a 35-yard touchdown with 17 seconds left.
Photos: Inside Chicago Bears Training Camp at Halas Hall
It was the best stretch of the drive for the Bears’ offense, which was marred by numerous false start penalties. That included two consecutive penalties in the penultimate full period with Williams at quarterback.
“We just have to go out there and make every play,” center Coleman Shelton said. “That’s the goal every practice. It’s not always going to be perfect, but we strive for perfection, so that’s our mindset.”
Players in the spotlight
Bates is trying to take a carefree approach to competing at center with newcomer Shelton.
“I wake up every morning and — excuse my language — I just say, ‘(Beep) this,’” Bates said. “Whatever happens, happens. You can’t worry about making a mistake. You can’t worry about walking on eggshells. You just have to go for it, and that’s kind of what I do.”
The Bears continue to rotate Bates and Shelton on the first-team offensive line every practice in one of the few true position battles of camp.
The Bears traded a fifth-round pick in the offseason for Bates, who started 19 games in five seasons with the Buffalo Bills. They then agreed to a one-year deal with Shelton, who started 32 games in five seasons with the Los Angeles Rams.
The Bears tried to sign Bates as a restricted free agent in general manager Ryan Poles’ first offseason, but the Bills matched the offer. Bates said they also tried to trade him the last two years before getting him on their third try. He said it was “really nice” to be wanted.
The Bears management made it clear to Bates that he had to be a leader for this team, a new role he embraced with enthusiasm. He also believes he fits well into the offense.
“I’m athletic,” he said. “One of my biggest strengths is my foot. … I feel like this offense fits me. I think I’m good on offense. I can just try to do my best every day and accept that.”
Shelton said he and Bates are trying to help each other as they adjust to a new team, regardless of the competition.
“It’s something that most NFL players go through,” he said. “It’s always a competition. You have to earn your spot every time you step on the field. It’s just a certain mindset you have to go out there with.”
Story of the day
The insane workout was part of a birthday tradition dreamed up by backup quarterback Tyson Bagent’s good friend.
Every year, Derek Gallagher performs some ridiculous feat of endurance and strength, and Bagent obliges. This year, on June 19, it was the “One-Mile Burpee-Broad Jump.” Gallagher and Bagent alternated the two training moves on the street for a half-mile to a river and back in front of bemused spectators.
They then celebrated the event with breakfast at Betty’s in Shepherdstown, West Virginia: six eggs, bacon and toast.
It was part of what Bagent called an offseason where he’s “going all out” as he enters his second year with the Bears. The undrafted free agent from Division II Shepherd said he’s too busy working out to worry about whether the Bears will replace him with a more experienced veteran to play behind Williams this year.
“I was just excited to come back,” he said. “Whoever was going to be in the QB room was going to be in the QB room. Nothing was going to change my mind.”
“It’s nice to know that they have confidence in me and appreciate what I was able to do last year. And hopefully they were able to see the progress I made in the offseason heading into year two.”
After starting four times last year in place of Justin Fields, Bagent said he feels good about playing faster this camp and without hesitation. The speed at which he can get a picture in his head and understand his order of operations before he gets to the line of scrimmage has improved greatly. He feels a sense of command in running the offense.
He also feels he can be a better resource for Williams as a backup than he was last year, when he watched Fields, third-string quarterback Nathan Peterman and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy exchange ideas.
“I wondered if I would ever be able to be a part of those conversations and help make them happen,” Bagent said. “And that’s a huge weight that’s been lifted off my shoulders this year, based on my experience from last year and being able to share my ideas (with quarterback Brett Rypien and offensive coordinator Shane Waldron).”
“I’ve made a lot of progress in that area, as a go-to person and being able to help with things that I’ve seen or had to experience during my playing time. I want the Bears to win the Super Bowl, so if that’s what I have to do, I’ll do it the best I can.”
Quote to note
Bagent explains why he thinks Waldron is a good teacher: “He does a great job of understanding what the player feels in games. He’s coached everywhere. He’s taught all these concepts. So maybe he can give another coach an answer on paper, he can give concrete examples like, ‘Hey, you know this doesn’t work in this style? Here’s how we’re going to make it easier for you and get you playing fast.’”
“Because at the end of the day, whether it’s fair or not, as long as we play fast and without hesitation, we have a better chance. So he does a good job of being in the players’ heads and understanding what they’re thinking about different plays.”
Injury Report
- Nickel Division cornerback Kyler Gordon was present but did not participate as he continues to deal with what coach Matt Eberflus called a “tightness.” Gordon also missed Thursday’s practice. Greg Stroman and undrafted rookie Reddy Steward received first-team reps in Gordon’s place.
- Defensive end Jake Martin came out of a team drill to have his left foot and ankle checked. He left practice early to head inside.
- Left tackle Braxton Jones, who was limited in starting camp, received a good number of full-team reps.
- Linebacker Noah Sewell and receiver Nsimba Webster were limited.
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