Jaquan Brisker organizing offseason workout with Bears secondary

Matt Eberflus says Jaquan Brisker is orchestrating a workout with the Bears defense in California.

It’s common practice for NFL players to enjoy the extended time off following yet another physically taxing season.

They’ll often make sure they stay in shape by participating in individual workouts before reporting to their team’s headquarters for the start of the offseason program in April and voluntary OTAs in May, taking their first step toward getting ready for the next season.

Chicago Bears safety Jaquan Brisker didn’t want to wait that long. Brisker invited the entire secondary to work out with him in California, with head coach Matt Eberflus saying the safety is getting everyone together “as we speak.”

Eberflus also noted that he’s excited for longtime Titans safety Kevin Byard to join the defense this year — a unit that many project to be one of the NFL’s more formidable squads next season.

The players, coaches and front office are saying and doing all the right things this offseason. General manager Ryan Poles had made several smart and integral offseason signing and brought a decisive end to the Justin Fields-Caleb Williams debate, sending him to Pittsburgh; Eberflus is beginning to win the favor of the fans by being so involved in several pivotal moves in the last couple of months, and locker room leaders like Brisker are making the extra effort to build chemistry and allow new guys, like Byard, to get extra time with his new teammates.

It’s been a productive offseason so far, with even more firepower coming in the NFL draft in just under a month.

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What Bears GM Ryan Poles learned about Caleb Williams from teammates, coaches

The Bears spent a lot of time with Caleb Williams ahead of his pro day, and one thing was overwhelmingly clear: Williams is loved by all.

The Chicago Bears are expected to draft quarterback Caleb Williams with the first overall pick, the league’s worst-kept secret, in next month’s NFL draft.

Following the trade of Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers, there’s no doubt Chicago will go quarterback at No. 1 — and there’s a 99.9% chance it’s Williams.

There’s no denying Williams’ special skillset, which has some believing he’s a generational talent. But the Bears stressed the importance of the person as much as the player.

Chicago brass, including general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus, spent a lot of time with Williams during the week of his pro day. They had dinner with Williams, worked with him at the USC facility and got a chance to observe and talk with Williams and teammates. And one thing was overwhelmingly clear: Williams is loved by all.

“When you talk to his teammates, they don’t like him, they love him,” Poles said at the NFL owners meetings, via Josh Schrock. “His leadership, how he brings people together. He’s intentional with his leadership. Same goes with the staff. I’m having a hard time finding a person that doesn’t like him or even love him and thinks that he can reach the highest limits. The feedback’s been good.”

The Bears will host Williams for a Top 30 visit during the first week of April, where Eberflus said they’ll continue install. Essentially, it sounds like they’ll get a jumpstart on teaching Williams the new offense.

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Bears hint about direction they’re leaning with No. 9 pick

There’s little mystery about what the Bears will do at No. 1 in the NFL draft. The bigger question will come with the No. 9 pick.

The Chicago Bears are sitting in a prime position holding two top-10 picks in the 2024 NFL draft, where they’ll be able to land some top players to their talented, ascending roster.

While it’ll come as no surprise when the Bears draft quarterback Caleb Williams at first overall, there’s more mystery sounding the ninth overall selection, where there will be plenty of options.

General manager Ryan Poles mentioned three specific position groups when talking about options at No. 9 — offensive tackle, wide receiver and defensive end. Regardless of how the board falls, a top prospect at any of those given positions should be available for Chicago.

“I like the numbers,” Poles said at the NFL owners meetings. “I talked about it when I first got here, but we have different tiers on our draft board. I like the numbers in terms of the talented players that can get to 9.

“We’re gonna do some cool things when we get back (to Halas Hall), kind of break into teams. One team is going to talk about ‘the tackle position is the best to go after,’ ‘the wide receiver’s the best,’ ‘the defensive end’s the best’ — and use factual information to kind of spit that out. And we’ll have a debate in terms of what’s more impactful for our football team, short term and long term. I’m looking forward to that.”

When head coach Matt Eberflus met with the media Tuesday morning at the owners meetings, he reiterated as much. He said they’ll target players that either help the quarterback or affect the quarterback at ninth overall.

With four quarterbacks projected to go in the top five, there’s a good chance the Bears could have their pick between a top wide receiver, edge rusher or offensive tackle at No. 9. That could includes players like Rome Odunze, Malik Nabers, Dallas Turner, Jared Verse and Joe Alt.

While it sounds like Chicago is set on landing two top prospects in the top 10, they could also elect to trade back — if the price is right. They currently have just four draft selections, so you know Poles will attempt to trade back at some point.

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Bears to play Texans in Hall of Fame Game

The Bears will kick off the preseason against the Texans in the Hall of Fame Game on Thursday, Aug. 1.

The Chicago Bears will kick off the preseason against the Houston Texans in the Hall of Fame Game on Thursday, Aug. 1 at 7 p.m. CT in Canton, Ohio.

It doesn’t really come as a surprise considering Chicago has three players being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year — return specialist Devin Hester, defensive tackle Steve McMichael and defensive end Julius Peppers, who will be enshrined on Saturday, Aug. 3.

Houston is represented by wide receiver Andre Johnson, who’s also being inducted alongside those three. Johnson is the first Texans player to be elected to the Hall of Fame.

The rest of the 2024 class includes Dwight Freeney, Randy Gradishar and Patrick Willis.

The Bears and Texans will also face each other during the regular season, so this is the first of two meetings. This could mark Caleb Williams’ Chicago debut (although starters typically don’t play in the Hall of Fame Game).

This will be the first of four preseason games for the Bears.

Justin Fields will have chance to compete for starting job with Steelers

Justin Fields will have the opportunity to compete for the Steelers’ starting QB job once training camp kicks off this summer.

Everyone knew the Chicago Bears were going to trade quarterback Justin Fields. The Pittsburgh Steelers made a lot of sense early in the offseason, but many people thought they took themselves out of the mix when they landed Russell Wilson. Still, Pittsburgh made a move to land Fields.

Now, the Steelers have two guys who believe they can be NFL starters. One is young and hasn’t proven much anything but has a ton of talent. The other is on the back nine of his career but has been a Super Bowl champion elite quarterback for a long time.

You’d think right off the bat that Wilson was guaranteed to be the starter. However, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin indicated there will be competition — even though Wilson is currently sitting in the pole position.

“When it’s time to compete, we get in training camp-like settings and go to preseason stadiums and so forth, obviously Justin will be given an opportunity that shows his capabilities,” Tomlin said at the NFL owners meetings Monday.

Tomlin said Fields “oozes talent and potential” and is going to be allowed to show what he has. In a system that should fit what he is looking to do as a quarterback, Fields may take that next step we’ve all been waiting to see. He is talented, but the Bears were unable to turn him into a great quarterback. Maybe Tomlin can.

If Fields does win the starting job and plays in 51 percent of the snaps this season, the conditional sixth-round pick that the Bears received for him will become a fourth rounder. It would also be nice to see him find some success in his new football home. Fields has worked hard and deserves this chance to compete.

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Bears GM Ryan Poles sounds off on potential Keenan Allen extension

While there’s no timeline in place for a Keenan Allen extension, Bears GM Ryan Poles said he’d “love to have him long term.”

The Chicago Bears made a splash in trading for wide receiver Keenan Allen during free agency, providing another weapon for projected incoming rookie quarterback Caleb Williams.

Chicago sent a 2024 fourth-round selection to the Los Angeles Chargers for Allen, who was asked to take a paycut by his former team, prompting his exit.

Now, Allen comes to the Bears on the final year of his current contract. Considering Chicago shelled out a valuable draft pick for Allen, the expectation is the Bears will look to sign Allen to an extension at some point.

During his press conference at the NFL owners meetings, general manager Ryan Poles sounded off on a potential Allen extension, saying the goal is to have him beyond 2024.

“I try to be intentional with the order that we do extensions, so we’ll review that and kind of see what our order looks like,” Poles said. “But for what he stands for, I would love to have him long term.”

Allen was asked whether he envisions playing in Chicago beyond the 2024 season, and he expects to be a Bear past this season.

“Yeah, absolutely,” Allen told reporters earlier this month. “You know we wouldn’t be here right now, obviously. Yeah, we’ll get there down the line.”

While there’s no timeline in place, the expectation is a deal gets done at some point this year.

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Jaylon Johnson on Caleb Williams’ impending Bears arrival: ‘You’ve gotta prove yourself’

Jaylon Johnson is the latest Bears veteran chiming in on Caleb Williams’ impending arrival and how he needs to prove himself.

Caleb Williams has huge shoes to fill ahead of his impending arrival to the Chicago Bears.

Former Bears quarterback Justin Fields was talented, of course, but he was also beloved in the locker room. His teammates were quite vocal about wanting him to stay in Chicago. But, ultimately, it was general manager Ryan Poles’ call to trade Fields and essentially usher in the Williams era.

Receiver DJ Moore recently spoke about what Williams needs to do to earn respect from the locker room, cornerback Jaylon Johnson is the latest Bears veteran chiming in on Williams’ impending arrival and how he needs to prove himself.

“You just humble yourself coming into the building,” Johnson said on Up & Adams. “You can’t bring that Hollywood stuff into the building, especially with guys who have played the game at a high level for consecutive years in the league. Guys like myself, Tremaine (Edmunds), T.J. (Edwards), now Keenan Allen. We’re going to see through that. What you did in college, the Hollywood, nah, you’ve gotta prove yourself. Stuff like that doesn’t matter.”

While there’s been a lot of focus on Johnson’s remarks about “that Hollywood stuff,” he went on to explain the importance of getting to know Williams as a person and wanting him to be the best he can be.

“You gotta get to know him, too. I think it’s a fine line between trying to prove a point to him, but also getting to know him,” Johnson said. “Because, at the end of the day, we want him to be the absolute best he can be. That’s what we’re bringing him in for, to win games. I think truly just learning who he is as a person, learning him deeper than all the Hollywood stuff you see, but actually trying to learn and get to know him.

“And then knowing from there what pushes him. If it is trash talk, if trash talk makes him crumble, then I mean, I feel like we gotta push that button because people in the game, they’re gonna push that button. Depending on whatever it is that he needs to be pushed at, I feel like that’s our job and that’s our duty as his teammates to make him better to strengthen his weaknesses.”

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Bears GM Ryan Poles: Trading Justin Fields ‘probably one of the harder things I’ve had to do’

Bears GM Ryan Poles said there was “a lot to unpack” when it came to trading QB Justin Fields.

The Chicago Bears ushered in a new era when they traded Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers, clearing the way for incoming rookie Caleb Williams (most likely).

General manager Ryan Poles met with the media for the first time since the Fields trade at the NFL owners meetings in Orlando, where he said there was “a lot to unpack” when it came to trading Fields.

“There was a choppy start in his rookie year,” Poles said, via Sun-Times. “And when I came in, we had some cleaning up to do, which delayed another year of adding talent and supporting. And then in terms of the game, I feel like he was making strides and improving.”

Poles also emphasized the importance of the timeline with having a rookie quarterback under contract, and it seems that played a huge role in the decision.

“It’s really the timeline and how much runway you have,” Poles said. “Because to get a guy up off the ground, you need to support him with as much talent as possible. And then that flips because it takes so much cap space.”

Poles went to Matt Eberflus’ house to call Fields together to inform him of the trade. Poles admitted trading Fields was “probably one of the harder things I’ve had to do” on a personal level.

“Having that conversation with my own son was hard,” Poles said. “His jersey’s up in his room.”

Poles and Eberflus also made sure to call Bears veterans before the trade was finalized to explain the move.

“They understand that there is a business part to it,” Poles said. “It’s not something that just because you trade someone, you don’t like them, you don’t appreciate them.”

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Bears will host Caleb Williams for Top 30 visit next week

Caleb Williams will have his Top 30 visit with the Bears during the first week of April.

The Chicago Bears are in the thick of the pre-draft process, where their main focus has been USC quarterback Caleb Williams, the presumptive first overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.

The Bears traded Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers earlier this month, all but guaranteeing the team goes quarterback at No. 1. And the overwhelming expectation is Chicago will select him.

During a press conference at the NFL owners meetings Monday, general manager Ryan Poles confirmed Williams will have his Top 30 visit during the first week of April (next week), where the organization will have an opportunity to host Williams at Halas Hall for the entire day. They’ll also get their medical evaluation of him then.

Chicago has already spent extensive time with Williams, including last week in Los Angeles. Before the Bears took in Williams’ pro day, they were able to spend time with him, including meeting for dinner and talking ball at the USC facility.

Poles told reporters during their dinner last week, Williams didn’t touch his phone and remain focused on his conversations with the Bears staff in attendance.

Chicago also got an opportunity to see Williams interact with his USC teammates at a private hangout in West Hollywood. In talking to Williams’ teammates, one thing became clear.

“They don’t like him, they love him,” Poles said.

It certainly seems Williams has assuaged any character concerns the team might’ve had going into this process. At this point, it would be an absolute shock if Williams wasn’t a Chicago Bear next month.

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DJ Moore explains how Caleb Williams can earn respect of Bears locker room

With Justin Fields gone, DJ Moore explained how the Bears’ presumptive rookie QB Caleb Williams can win over his teammates.

The Chicago Bears have moved on from Justin Fields and will welcome a new rookie quarterback, most likely USC’s Caleb Williams, to the team next month.

While it wasn’t a popular decision inside the locker room to trade Fields — as many of his former teammates publicly voiced their desire for Fields to remain in Chicago — they also understand it’s a business.

Now, Bears star wide receiver DJ Moore will have a new quarterback throwing him the ball in 2024. Moore, perhaps Fields’ biggest supporter, explained how Williams (or any rookie, really) can earn the respect of the Bears locker room (like Fields did).

“I hope he just comes in and gets ready to work,” Moore said, via 670 the Score. “You can’t worry about the legacy of Justin Fields. You got to go out there and worry (about your own thing).”

The one thing people always praised Fields for was his hardworking demeanor — first one in, last one out — and his leadership ability. That will take time for Williams, but there’s no reason to believe he can’t come into this locker room and earn that respect with hard work and production.

Williams, the presumptive No. 1 pick in this draft class, has all of the tools to develop into a star quarterback in this league. But, just like in college, he’s going to have to earn it.

And that starts with winning over his future teammates.

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