Camp Notes: Bears Offense Key to 2024 Success, Top Camp Battles, Brisker Aims to Be Elite, Jenkins Extension Talks on Hold

At long last, Bears training camp began Saturday with a short practice that featured just one 7-on-7 period and two 11-on-11 drills. Chicago has a revamped offense that features top draft pick Caleb Williams at quarterback, new wide receivers Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze, veteran tight end Gerald Everett, and running back D’Andre Swift.

Chicago’s initial depth chart has one noticeable surprise, too. Veteran running back Khalil Herbert is listed as the third option behind Swift and Roschon Johnson. Herbert, who began the 2023 season as the team’s starter, is now a cut candidate. Offensive linemen Larry Borom and Ja’Tyre Carter are on the proverbial bubble, too.

On the defensive side, Gervon Dexter is listed as the starting right tackle. Free agent acquisition Kevin Byard III begins his first Bears’ camp as the team’s starting free safety, replacing Eddie Jackson. Byard has appeared in 130 NFL games with 121 starts over eight seasons with the Titans (2016-23) and Eagles (2023). He has recorded 749 tackles, 28 interceptions, 66 pass breakups, four fumble recoveries, three forced fumbles, 15 tackles-for-loss, 4.0 sacks and two touchdowns.

Top Camp Battles

1. Coleman Shelton vs. Ryan Bates at center.
2. Bates vs. Nate Davis at right guard.
3. DeMarcus Walker vs. Austin Booker at left defensive end.
4. Allen vs. Odunze for WR2.

Keep an eye on Booker. GM Ryan Poles passed on any opportunities in free agency and at the top of the draft to find a bookend for Montez Sweat. The third-year executive also traded up in the 4th round specifically to grab Booker, who many analysts thought would be a first round pick if he stayed in college for his junior year.

The rookie finds himself in a terrific position to succeed. He has Sweat as his mentor but he’ll also play in a defensive scheme tailor-made for his strengths. And, whether you like Matt Eberflus or not, he has been successful at developing young defensive players. With that in mind, look for sophomores Dexter, Tyrique Stevenson, Zacch Pickens, Terell Smith, and Noah Sewell to take big steps forward in 2024-25. Booker could cost Dominique Robinson a roster spot, and Smith might send Jaylon Jones to the waiver wire, too.

Bears News & Notes

• The rapport between Williams and WR D.J. Moore was evident as the rookie quarterback and veteran receiver teamed up Monday to produce two impact plays, per senior writer Larry Mayer of the Bears’ flagship website.
• Mayer also mentioned that Eberflus praised defensive backs coach Jon Hoke. The head coach credited Hoke with making cornerback Jaylon Johnson second-team All-Pro. Johnson’s breakout season earned him a four-year, $76 million contract extension. “I’m telling you: Jon Hoke is the best,” Eberflus said. “Peanut Tillman‘s coach, I mean you can start naming the names and this guy can coach. So that’s probably a big part of it.”
• Safety Jaquan Brisker intends to finish the upcoming season as one of the NFL’s elite defensive backs.
• The Bears are very thin on the defensive line and need Dexter to make a massive leap this year if they expect to contend for a playoff spot.
• The front office wants to fully evaluate its current group of defensive linemen before deciding to make any new additions. In other words, Poles is waiting to see who will be available after this year’s NFL-mandated roster cut on August 27.
• Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron lauded Williams for gaining a firmer grasp of the offense in the weeks leading up to training camp.
• The cadence problems between Williams and the offensive line that disrupted practices at minicamp last month appear to be fixed.
• Poles understands that the Bears have plenty to prove this season after finishing 7-10 in 2023. The hope is for 2024 to mark the start of a great era for this franchise. “I just want to continue to improve,” Poles said. “Our goal – I’ve never backed away from it – our goal is always to win the Super Bowl and take the division, and I feel like we’re continuing to get closer and closer to that. So, I’m excited to find out what that ceiling is.”
• The Bears will excuse safety Jonathan Owens for seven practices starting Friday so that he may accompany wife and US Olympic gymnast Simone Bilas in Paris. Owens will therefore miss Chicago’s first preseason game on August 1.
• The Bears open the 2024 exhibition schedule with a tilt against the Texans in this year’s Hall of Fame Game.

Five Things

1. The Bears enter the new season with the expectation of contending for a postseason berth. That’s uncharted territory for a team that has few holdovers from the previous regime. Johnson, Teven Jenkins, Cole Kmet, and Cairo Santos are the lone starters that were drafted or acquired by Ryan Pace. Herbert, Jones, and Borom are cut candidates. Chicago is younger, faster, and loaded with a number of playmakers on both sides of the ball. The team lacks depth at a couple key positions, however.
2. The Packers are once again the team to beat in the NFC North. That said, the Lions, who lost to the 49ers in last year’s NFC Championship Game, are very good, too. The Vikings are rebuilding and could play spoiler as the season progresses. The path to the playoffs goes through Green Bay, Detroit, and Chicago. Could three NFC North teams make the postseason? The division has never produced three playoff teams in the same season. It’s also the only NFL division to never achieve that accomplishment since the league went to eight divisions.
3. The Bears won’t discuss a contract extension with Jenkins until after the team’s bye week. Chicago has lacked continuity on their offensive line for several seasons, but Jenkins is their best starter. His injury history is the likely stumbling block, so it appears that Poles wants Jenkins to prove he can stay on the field. That said, Jenkins provides the type of versatility that Poles and Eberflus love. He’ll open the season as the team’s starting left guard, but he can play on the right side and at both tackles, too. He, Darnell Wright, and Braxton Jones will anchor this year’s line. They’re also charged with making Williams’ transition to the NFL smoother. Jenkins could parlay a big season into a very lucrative free agent contract, but Poles will not overpay for the lineman’s services. The negotiations – or lack thereof – will be a talking point all season.
4. Can a punter be a veritable weapon? The Bears drafted Tory Taylor at No. 122 overall with precisely that intent. Taylor’s final season at Iowa was his most productive. He set the NCAA record for punting yards in a single season, breaking the previous mark set in 1938. Taylor was also named the Big Ten’s Eddleman-Fields Punter of the Year. He was also last season’s Ray Guy Award winner (given annually to the nation’s best punter). Taylor could be the NFL’s number one punter in his rookie season, and don’t be surprised if he earns a stray Rookie of the Year vote or two. He’s potentially that good.
5. It’s tough to make predictions this early in camp, but I believe Johnson will eventually supplant Swift as Chicago’s No. 1 running back. Swift and Johnson will make a fantastic tandem at the very least, and barring injury, the two make Herbert expendable. I also believe that WR Collin Johnson will cost one of Dante Pettis, Tyler Scott, or Velus Jones Jr. a roster spot. Each year, one offensive player performs so well in the late stages of preseason games that he become too good to expose to waivers and be placed on the practice squad. Johnson could be that player this year. He and UDFA Austin Reed should light it up starting August 1. Reed is another player who also might be too good to stash. He could challenge Tyson Bagent at QB2, though Bagent’s experience gives him a solid edge. Reed will make the squad if Eberflus and Poles are comfortable rostering three quarterbacks.

Today’s Bottom Line

If Williams lives up to his billing, the Bears could get really good, really fast. If he struggles, the team still has the luxury of continuing its rebuild while still playing competitive defensive football. Moore and Allen will anchor the offense and help with Williams’ development. On defense, Sweat and Johnson, both recipients of contract extensions, are the anchors, with Brisker, T.J. Edwards, and Tremaine Edmunds right there, too. The Bears have enough playmakers on defense to compensate for any offensive struggles, but if Williams is the real deal, the Bears will contend with the Packers and Lions for the division title.

Camp Quotes

• “I can see that [Williams-Moore connection] getting better every single day. The pre-snap penalties are down, getting in and out of the huddle is also good. That’s just because we’re learning the system, learning how to do it and we’re learning how to break the huddle, get to the line of scrimmage and operate our motions and shifts and make our calls. I think that’s really been good, and Caleb is the apex of that. He’s just going to keep getting better at it, keep progressing every single day.” – Eberflus
• “I think Caleb did a great job ending OTAs, ending that portion of the rookie segment at the end [of the offseason program] and then showing up back here at training camp a step ahead of where he left… He did a great job during his time away from the building owning the offense, understanding different calls and [being] able to come out here these first two practices and operate at a much higher level than what we left it. Every day we see these incremental improvements leading up to that first game. That’s our main goal on offense.” – Waldron
• “We’re going to let [the Coleman-Bates battle] play out. I told the guys today, ‘You make the team or you make your position in pads.’ It’s hard to evaluate guys when we’re out here and not in pads. The pass protection is hard. The pass rush is hard to really evaluate if a guy can bore around the corner or if he can really protect against the bull rush. We put limits on the guys a little bit—what they can and cannot do—so they don’t [get injured] while we’re in shells.” – Eberflus
• “[Hoke’s] been in the game for a long, long time, so [he] has knowledge. He will go all the way back 20 years and talk about something and bring it up in the meetings and be like, ‘This hasn’t changed.’ He will bring a lot of pointers. Very smart coach. IQ guy, so I feel like that’s what he brings to our room a lot.” – Kyler Gordon