Two weeks before kicking off the preseason in the Hall of Fame game, the Chicago Bears open training camp at the team facility optimistic they might finally have a long-term answer at quarterback.
The Bears selected Southern California’s Caleb Williams with the first pick in the draft, ushering in a new era of offense with Shane Waldron hired to design a scheme to maximize the quarterback and his freshly assembled weapons.
Chicago drafted Washington wide receiver Rome Odunze and acquired Keenan Allen from the Los Angeles Chargers to go along with 2023 trade acquisition D.J. Moore.
Head coach Matt Eberflus survived the hot seat for another year with seven wins last season, rebounding from a 2-7 start and helped by general manager Ryan Poles making a trade to help the defense. He acquired Montez Sweat from the Washington Commanders and signed him to a four-year, $98 million deal before locking up top free agent Jaylon Johnson with a four-year, $76 million contract.
Eberflus’ defense ranked near the top of the league in almost every statistical category over the final five weeks of the regular season.
But Poles’ next major decision might be whether to pull the plug on the head coach if the 2024 season doesn’t show sustained progress.
ABOUT THE BEARS
2023 record: 7-10
Training camp start date: July 19
Last playoff appearance: 2020 NFC wild-card game
–Here are three training camp questions for the Bears:
1. Can the Bears win without Caleb Williams playing the role of savior?
Peer reviews out of Halas Hall are projecting greatness from Williams. The plan is for him to take the majority of reps and get comfortable with first-year Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. Chicago wants to feature a running game and free-agent add D’Andre Swift, but the scheme with outside weapons galore place Williams in prime position to succeed.
How subjective success is measured will be telling. The Bears are not one of the favorites in the NFC North entering the season and don’t overlook the learning curve likely for Williams and a team with plenty of fresh faces.
2. Did Chicago’s defense turn the corner for good last season?
Yes. No team was better against the run than the Bears in 2023 and that strength turned the spotlight to a secondary with talent and playmakers.
The Bears led the NFL in interceptions and with a strong pass rush, don’t expect them to take a big step back.
3. How will the offensive line settle in front of Williams?
Young at tackle and unproven inside, some consternation over the state of the offensive line is warranted.
But the Bears aren’t concerned — yet — because of the level of play they received from left guard Teven Jenkins last season. He’s a potential anchor of the group with plans to use Jenkins on the left side with right guard Nate Davis and center Ryan Bates rounding out the inside.
The worry is health, and Jenkins’ history of back issues is at the top of the list. Davis, in his second season with the Bears, signed a three-year, $30 million extension but was barely on the field during OTAs.
–Field Level Media