NEWSLETTER
I’ve said it, and I’ll continue to say it: this chapter of Chicago Bears football feels different.
Perhaps it’s because the last time we did this, we were in a pandemic, and when the Bears jumped up to No. 11 to select Justin Fields in April 2021, everything felt different. Justin Fields’ first press conference at rookie mini camp was via Zoom. Matt Nagy wasn’t even on the field to witness it because he had been a close contact in COVID-19 trace testing.
On Friday, the media room at Halas Hall was packed to the gills with reporters angling for a look at the newest quarterback of the Chicago Bears. Williams said everything right and ended his presser with a “Da Bears.”
Perhaps it feels different because it is different.
“No conversation,” coach Matt Eberflus said on Friday when asked if there’s any question about who the starting quarterback is in Chicago. “He’s the starter.”
That’s different.
When the Bears’ previous regime did this song and dance with Justin Fields, they insisted on him competing with Andy Dalton, forcing valuable reps away from their first-round quarterback all summer before throwing him to the wolves a month into the season.
Before that, another coaching staff insisted that Mitchell Trubisky compete with Mike Glennon until Glennon failed miserably, and Trubisky was inserted as the starting quarterback.
But this time, it’s the Caleb Williams show, and there’s no question about it. He’s the man in Chicago. He’ll get all the first-team reps, and he’ll get them with a star-studded supporting cast that features D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen, and Rome Odunze. There are no awkward conversations, just full steam ahead toward the future for Caleb Williams and the Bears. A future that is now the present after Williams logged his first two practices in navy and orange over the weekend.
Another new wrinkle to this dynamic is the Bears’ willingness to allow Williams’ quarterback coach, Will Hewlett, to participate in the process. The Bears sent Hewlett their route tree, terminology, and cadences in advance of this weekend’s rookie minicamp, allowing Williams to come to Halas Hall on Friday with a headstart on the installation of the playbook.
“Will Hewlett’s been awesome in this whole process — been able to have great conversations with him,” Eberflus said. “He gets it. He’s trained a lot of guys. He’s elite at what he does. It was a pleasure to work with him. He was working on our stuff a little bit — cadence and those types of things and the footwork that we want. That’s been a good process for us.”
This weekend’s minicamp was just the start, and we’re only beginning to learn what the plan for Williams looks like, but thus far, it seems like a recipe for success. If nothing else, it’s undoubtedly different from the franchise’s previous go at getting this right, and that’s encouraging enough.
“I think Shane and the offensive staff have done an outstanding job of that thus far, putting that foundation in and making sure that it’s likable, learnable, and can get executed,” Eberflus said. “And we’re excited about beginning that process.”
Bears Rookie Minicamp Takeaways
I really like this quote from rookie Bears offensive lineman Kiran Amegadjie on Caleb Williams this weekend:
“He’s a big presence in the locker room already,” offensive lineman Kiran Amegadjie said. “He’s a good leader. He’s a person that works hard. He’s always the first one in, in the morning. When I get here, he’s always here already. So I think he’s going to be a great leader for us on this team.”
Amegadjie grew up a Bears fan. He knows the pain of watching failed experiment after failed experiment under center. So, that’s some solid praise from one rookie to another.
Rome Odunze missed Saturday’s practice with a tight hamstring, but he was in sync with Williams on Friday.
At this point, I have zero concern over Odunze missing Saturday. He walked through drills, and it feels like the Bears are just being cautious with the No. 9 pick in the draft here in early May. Odunze was on the field on Friday catching passes from Williams, and they’re familiar with each other from their work together last month. They’ll get more work in on the side (Williams is already planning those workouts with his receivers) and then again at the next camp.
As for Odunze’s performance on Friday, let’s take it from his quarterback:
“You obviously see why he had, what, 1,500-plus (yards receiving)?” Williams said. “And a bunch of catches. He’s explosive for his size, explosive route runner, and things like that. He’s also really smooth in and out of routes and transitions. So working with him, it’s been great, it’s been awesome. I’m excited for what’s next.”
That seems like a quickly developing relationship (bromance even?) that will flourish this fall.
Austin Booker impressed the coaching staff this weekend.
There’s not much you can “prove” in a rookie minicamp without pads, but Austin Booker still managed to impress the Bears coaching staff with his size this weekend.
“Length is a great advantage for every player on the field, especially a player on the edge,” Bears DC Eric Washington said. “What it allows you to do is to advance and put that tackle under duress right now. He can gain ground; he can really take the grass and really force the protection mechanics against the person he’s working against. The quicker you can get there, the quicker you can initiate the play, initiate the violence, the better.”
Washington also complimented Booker’s energy, something that the Bears loved on his tape in the pre-draft process.
“He has a tremendous amount of energy,” Washington said. “He never seems to be out of the play either early or as the play extends with the quarterback, especially as a rusher. And when you talk about slippery, it’s just hard for the protection, either the person assigned to him or whatever, to get a solid shot on him. He’s always rotating and flipping his hips at the right time so he can continue to advance toward the quarterback, and so he has that innate feel and ability.”
Kiran Amegadjie didn’t participate in drills, but he’s hard at work in the classroom.
Kiran Amegadjie underwent surgery on his quad last October, and the Bears will keep him off the field during the offseason training program while he ramps back up. The plan is that he’ll be ready for training camp in July.
But he still worked this weekend in the classroom, something that offensive line coach Chris Morgan placed plenty of value on.
“Classroom’s big,” Morgan said. “Being out on the field watching the drills is big. You can actually stand behind and take really great mental reps. A lot of growth we can accomplish in the next month, for sure.”
