Tag: 2021 Minicamp

Chicago Bears’ projected depth chart following minicamp

There’s a long way to go before the Bears need to trim their roster to 53 players, but here are my predictions following minicamp.

The Chicago Bears have filled out their 90-man roster following the conclusion of the offseason program. There’s still a long way to go before the Bears need to trim their roster to 53 players, but the roster is already starting to take shape.

When looking at this current roster, there aren’t a lot of potential surprises that could steal a roster spot. But training camp will in intriguing given competition at wide receiver, cornerback and offensive line that will earn or lose roster spots.

Following mandatory minicamp, here’s my depth chart projections for the Bears’ 53-man roster ahead of training camp.

Bears’ 90-man post-minicamp roster by jersey number

Here’s the latest look at the Bears’ 90-man post-minicamp roster by number, from Justin Fields at No. 1 to Trevis Gipson at No. 99.

The Chicago Bears wrapped up their offseason with mandatory minicamp last week, where veterans and rookies gathered for their final workouts at Halas Hall before training camp next month.

There was a slight shake-up with their offseason roster after minicamp, but it’s otherwise remained the same. Currently, the Bears have 90 players on their roster, which will be trimmed down to 53 ahead of the start of the regular season. But we’ve got a long way before that happens.

Here’s the latest look at the Bears’ 90-man offseason roster by jersey number:

Chicago Bears to sign OL Tyrone Wheatley Jr.

The Bears have reportedly agreed to a deal with OL Tyrone Wheatley Jr., who participated in minicamp on a tryout basis.

The Chicago Bears concluded their mandatory minicamp on Thursday, but still had business to conduct before departing Halas Hall until training camp.

The Bears have reportedly agreed to a deal with free agent offensive lineman Tyrone Wheatley Jr., according to his agent.

Wheatley recently had a tryout with the Bears earlier this week, along with other players such as tight end Jake Butt and defensive lineman Michael Pennel.

Wheatley most recently played for the Blues in the Spring League as an offensive lineman after spending his college career as a tight end. He is the son of former Michigan star running back Tyrone Wheatley.

The team’s newest addition will look to earn a roster spot as a reserve on the offensive line when training camp begins in six weeks.

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10 takeaways from the second day of Bears minicamp

The Bears returned to the field for the second day of minicamp at Halas Hall, and there was plenty to digest from Wednesday’s practice.

The Chicago Bears returned to the practice field at Halas Hall for the continuation of mandatory minicamp on Wednesday, where veterans and rookies hit to the practice field for the second of three practices this week.

Let’s recap what went down during the second day of Chicago’s minicamp. From Kindle Vildor’s impressive day to the one scenario where Justin Fields starts Week 1, here’s what we learned from Wednesday’s practice.

10 takeaways from the second day of Bears minicamp

The Bears returned to the field for the second day of minicamp at Halas Hall, and there was plenty to digest from Wednesday’s practice.

The Chicago Bears returned to the practice field at Halas Hall for the continuation of mandatory minicamp on Wednesday, where veterans and rookies hit to the practice field for the second of three practices this week.

Let’s recap what went down during the second day of Chicago’s minicamp. From Kindle Vildor’s impressive day to the one scenario where Justin Fields starts Week 1, here’s what we learned from Wednesday’s practice.

WATCH: Highlights from second day of Bears minicamp

Check out highlights from Wednesday’s practice as the Bears continued their three-day mandatory minicamp.

The Chicago Bears returned to the field for Wednesday’s practice, the second of three workouts before a six-week break ahead of training camp in late July.

Wednesday’s practice featured a standout performance by cornerback Kindle Vildor, who continues to impress in camp. It was another solid day for quarterbacks Andy Dalton and Justin Fields, where Matt Nagy made it clear of the plan in place to develop Fields behind Dalton.

There were a few videos from the media that made their way online, but the Bears released highlights from Wednesday’s minicamp practice, including a beautiful throw from Fields to wide receiver Damiere Byrd and some energy from the defense.

https://youtu.be/6oXaHR7copc

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Matt Nagy says Justin Fields in similar place as Patrick Mahomes in 2017

With Matt Nagy intent on recreating the Chiefs plan with Justin Fields, Nagy shared where Fields stands compared to Patrick Mahomes in 2017.

When meeting with reporters following Wednesday’s minicamp practice, Bears head coach Matt Nagy took the time to lay it all out about the quarterback situation. This after back-to-back days of questioning about the depth chart. And he expects the questions to continue, which is why he made it clear that the plan is to develop Justin Fields as the No. 2 quarterback behind starter Andy Dalton.

“There will be a process and a plan,” Nagy told reporters Wednesday. “We will stick to that. That plan is not going to change tomorrow. The plan is not going to change in training camp. The plan is a plan and it’s been thought out.”

Given Nagy is intent on replicating the Kansas City model the Chiefs ran with Patrick Mahomes — to rest him during his rookie year and let him develop behind a veteran — there are certainly going to be questions about Fields’ pace compared with Mahomes. Even though it’s unfair to make the comparison in the first place.

While we’re very early on into the developmental process, Nagy explained that Fields is at a similar place in his development compared to Mahomes during veteran minicamp in 2017.

“I would say with Patrick at this point of time in vet minicamp to where Justin is, is great,” Nagy said. “Their personalities, football-wise, football IQ, all of that stuff is very similar on that side. Their actual personalities are a little bit different but that’s the beauty of life. We all have different personalities. I just think that right now for Justin, the biggest thing is to make sure that he’s continuing to just really listen and just get better, and then probably just keep asking the right questions, and I think he’s doing that more and more as he feels comfortable.”

Nagy made it clear Tuesday that there’s no scenario where Fields will supplant Dalton as the starting quarterback for Week 1. Well, almost no scenario. If Dalton were to get injured, Fields would assume the starting duties, as a back-up quarterback does.

“I would say this, when you are the No. 2 quarterback and in that situation that you are presenting to me, then yes, he would be the guy,” Nagy said. “But when you talk through this that is where it’s like, these quarterbacks, all three guys, just because they are in that spot right now, we have explained, and I have specifically explained to each of those guys that you are doing everything you possibly can to be as competitive as possible and be the starting quarterback and be the best quarterback you can be for the Bears.

“So I’m taking a little bit of time here to say this because I know these questions can go on and on each and every day, but out of politeness from me and respect as we go here moving forward, I’m just going to, like I’ll give you updates as we go as to how the guys are doing but as far as the depth chart goes this is where we are at with Andy as the 1, with Justin as the 2 and Nick as the 3. But all three of those guys know that you need to produce, you need to play well, you need to compete, you need to be the best quarterback you can be and then it’s going to be really pretty easy for us to see who that is and how that goes… But to go back to your original question, if that was the case, then yes, Justin would be our starter.”

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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.

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10 takeaways from the first day of Bears minicamp

The Bears kicked off the first day of mandatory minicamp at Halas Hall, and there was plenty to digest from Tuesday’s practice.

The Chicago Bears reported to Halas Hall for the start of mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, where some big-name veterans returned to the practice field for the first of three practices this week.

Let’s recap what went down during the first day of Chicago’s minicamp. From Andy Dalton’s impressive day to Eddie Goldman’s absence, here’s what we learned from Tuesday’s practice.

WATCH: Highlights from first day of Bears minicamp

Check out highlights from Tuesday’s practice as the Bears kicked off mandatory minicamp.

The Chicago Bears kicked off mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, where players took the field before a six-week break ahead of training camp in late July.

Tuesday’s practice featured the return of wide receiver Allen Robinson, who hit the practice field for the first time this offseason, and the noticeable absence of nose tackle Eddie Goldman, whose absence was unexcused.

While there’s been a lot of excitement about rookie quarterback Justin Fields, it was Andy Dalton’s day on Tuesday, where he impressed with a couple of deep passes to speedy wideout Marquise Goodwin.

There were a few videos from the media that made their way online, but the Bears released highlights from Tuesday’s minicamp practice, including one of bombs from Dalton to Goodwin and Fields connecting on a pass with Robinson.

https://youtu.be/-87oSasXeUE

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