After completing seven training camp practices, including the last two with full protections, the Chicago Bears are pleased with their progress on the path to becoming a legitimate playoff contender again. The team will take Sunday off, then return to the practice field Monday as it prepares for Thursday’s Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio.
After Saturday’s practice and interviews at Halas Hall, here’s a recap.
Today’s news
It was a tough day for the first-team offense, shaky from start to finish and marred by a wave of pre-snap penalties.
For the second straight practice, starting fouls were a major issue. Coach Matt Eberflus said those mistakes in Friday’s practice were mostly the result of cadence issues as rookie quarterback Caleb Williams continues to work to get in sync with his line. On Saturday, with at least a half-dozen false starts during 11-on-11 periods, it was defensive tackle Andrew Billings’ emphatic “Move!” calls to the defensive line that prompted offensive linemen and tight ends to jump early.
Billings has become a master at using his voice to strategically surprise and disrupt the offense. His ruse worked wonders Saturday, triggering a barrage of yellow penalty flags against the offense.
“It’s really about focusing on what the quarterback is doing, not what the defense is doing,” Eberflus said.
Left tackle Braxton Jones echoed that sentiment.
“Everyone is more focused and more aware of the pace, including myself.”
Photos: Inside Chicago Bears Training Camp at Halas Hall
Eberflus urged his team to focus more and hoped Saturday’s mistakes would be dealt with constructively.
“The offense obviously struggled today,” Eberflus said. “But I also told them after practice, ‘Guys, all three phases have to go well for us to be a good football team.’”
“There’s going to be days when the defense or special teams struggle. But you have to have all three phases firing on all cylinders. And we’re not there yet. Obviously, we’re early in training camp and I don’t expect us to be there. But I do expect us to grow and learn from this and get better.”
Caleb Williams Watch
On a day where the offense had problems just about everywhere, the rookie quarterback was intercepted on consecutive passes during a 7-on-7 first half.
The first turnover came when Williams threw his pass down the middle of the field to Gerald Everett, who was intercepted by safety Adrian Colbert. On the next snap, Williams tried to connect with DJ Moore on the right side, but undrafted rookie cornerback Reddy Steward intercepted the pass and opened up a path to the end zone.
Later in that series, Williams hit Everett with a well-placed low throw on a drag route. But it’s not like there were fireworks after the turnovers.
“I thought he reacted well,” Eberflus said. “When you throw an interception, what’s your reaction? I thought he reacted well in 7-on-7 after those plays.”
The 11-on-11 periods weren’t interrupted by turnovers, but they were still awkward and disjointed. Williams did a great job avoiding the pocket to his right — linebacker T.J. Edwards was blitzing from the blind side — while hitting Everett with a running throw.
The rookie is still comfortable throwing the ball on the move, able to do so from multiple platforms with ease. But a pass to the middle to Dante Pettis during the two-minute period was thrown into a sea of defenders and probably should have been intercepted.
It should be noted that Moore and Keenan Allen did not participate in the two-minute drills.
“Obviously, you don’t have your best players on the field,” Eberflus said. “I told the quarterbacks afterward that you have to make it like a game. You have to be able to feel the surge and throw the ball at the right time. Again, sometimes the protection is good and you can ride the pocket, ride that wave and throw your strikes down the field. But you have to be able to feel those things and then throw the ball at the right time.”
On a snap during the two-minute drill, defensive end Montez Sweat knocked the ball out of Williams’ hands — the second consecutive drive that took place. Sweat should acknowledge that quarterbacks wear orange jerseys — meaning no touching.
“He knows he shouldn’t do that,” Eberflus said of the takedown attempt. “I took him out of that drill today. Then I pulled him aside and said, ‘Listen, you can’t do that. You’d be sick if something happened, OK?’ He understands that. And does he get around the edge quickly and all that? Yeah, he does. But he’s a superior elite athlete. He’s good enough to be able to stop and get away. So he has to be disciplined that way.”
Injury Update
Right guard Nate Davis was sidelined early in individual drills and was seen meeting on the sideline with head athletic trainer Andre Tucker. Davis gestured to his abdomen or hip, and after practice, Eberflus listed him as “day to day” with the goal of having Davis back Monday.
Davis wasn’t on the field full time in the spring and also missed a good chunk of action during camp last summer after arriving from the Tennessee Titans on a three-year, $30 million contract. Davis ultimately missed six games in 2023, raising concerns about his reliability going forward.
“Availability is everything, right?” Eberflus said Saturday. “You have to be available to practice and be able to do better in training camp. That’s part of getting ready for the first half of the season: being unaffected. That’s your individual responsibility to the football team, and when you’re not on the field, guess what? That doesn’t happen.”
In Davis’ absence, Ryan Bates, who was the first-unit center at the start of practice, was moved to right guard and Coleman Shelton, who spent Friday running with the center guards, was inserted into the frontcourt. If Bates has to spend more time at right guard, it could make it harder to assess what the team has billed as a competition for the center position.
On defense, nickel cornerback Kyler Gordon missed his third straight practice with what Eberflus called “stiffness.” A day after leaving practice with a left foot or ankle issue, defensive end Jacob Martin was not seen at practice. Receiver Nsimba Webster also did not participate. Sophomore linebacker Noah Sewell, however, returned, doing some work during individual periods.
Player in the spotlight
Receiver Velus Jones Jr. catches a pass during training camp at Halas Hall on July 22, 2024, in Lake Forest. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)During one-on-one drills early in practice, Velus Jones Jr. used a crisp outside release to separate from cornerback Jaylon Jones and caught a sliding touchdown from backup cornerback Tyson Bagent. It was a repetition that caught the third-year receiver’s attention.
“It’s just a matter of confidence,” he said. “I can go back to high school. When I’m one-on-one, I feel like no one can keep up with me. Especially when it’s a football game.”
Jones is working to carve out a spot as a receiver/running back in the offense. But realistically, he could make his biggest impact in 2024 as a kickoff returner, especially with the new rules in place where coverage teams will line up on the receiving team’s 40-yard line but can’t move until the ball is in the returner’s hands or on the ground.
“It’s going to be a lot easier for us to get into position on the field,” Jones said. “We don’t have to rely on blocks as much anymore. It’s like, ‘Everybody puts their hat on their player,’ and then you just have to feel it out. Whatever hole opens up, we hit it full speed.”
Seen and heard
Earlier this week, coaching legend Nick Saban visited Halas Hall, accepting Eberflus’ invitation and using the stop to exchange ideas on a variety of topics. Saban and Eberflus’ relationship dates back to 1990, when Saban was the coach at the University of Toledo and Eberflus was a junior linebacker on the team.
Eberflus sought Saban’s advice on leadership as well as his work at Alabama with future NFL quarterbacks such as Tua Tagavailoa and Jalen Hurts.
“I learned a lot and a lot of wisdom from him,” Eberflus said. “It was great to see him. He’s been a mentor of mine for a long time. (…) He’s a special man and a special leader.”
Quote to note
Eberflus continues to remind his hungry and ambitious defense that on-field production means much more than off-field aspirations. “What we do on the turf is what matters,” Eberflus said. “So all this talk about all these numbers and all that stuff (doesn’t mean much). People say, ‘(This is a) top-five defense.’ What does that really mean? … Here we are at the end of the year and you tell me we’re top-five? How do you know? To me, it’s about what we do on the turf. People can say all that. But to me, it doesn’t mean anything. It’s not a word to me.”
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