Bears’ new elements of speed on offense evident in first minicamp practice

The Bears have placed an emphasis of adding more speed on offense, which was evident in Tuesday’s minicamp practice.

The Chicago Bears have done a lot to retool their offense this offseason. From the additions of quarterbacks Justin Fields and Andy Dalton to releasing both starting tackles in Charles Leno and Bobby Massie, Chicago has made the offense a priority this offseason.

But perhaps the biggest emphasis has been adding more speed on offense. While Darnell Mooney didn’t get enough chances to take the top off defenses with his speed last season, he was getting open downfield — he was just usually being overthrown.

The hope is that the addition of Fields and Dalton will change that. And Chicago’s actions this offseason have shown that Matt Nagy wants more speed on offense with the additions of veteran wideouts Marquise Goodwin and Damiere Byrd as well as rookie running back Khalil Herbert and rookie receiver Dazz Newsome.

Goodwin’s speed was display during Tuesday’s minicamp practice, where he caught a couple of bombs from Dalton. It’s that speed that has Nagy excited about what this offense could become.

“I thought it was definitely an element that we have when you see some of the guys out there rolling with the speed,” Nagy said. “That’s that touchdown-to-touchdown mentality that we talk about, so it’s nice to see that. There’s a little bit of a disadvantage to the defense because [we practice] with no pads on out there. But we’re trying to be able to take the top off [the defense] when we can.”

According to reports from the media, Goodwin and Byrd have impressed during these offseason workouts, which bodes well for them and should put guys like Javon Wims and Riley Ridley on notice.

The Bears have plenty of speed on offense between new and returning players, which also includes a quarterback in Fields. But we’ll see if that speed can translate on the field once the 2021 season gets underway.

[listicle id=474212]