Tag: 2022 training camp

Bear Necessities: How the offensive line significantly improved in the last two days

In two days, GM Ryan Poles drastically improved the Bears offensive line with the additions of Riley Reiff and Michael Schofield.

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With the development of second-year quarterback Justin Fields of utmost importance, having a dependable offensive line is paramount to his success. So there was obvious concern surrounding the offensive line with questions at the starting right guard and both tackle positions.

But in two days, general manager Ryan Poles drastically improved Chicago’s offensive line with two moves ahead of training camp. The Bears signed tackle Riley Reiff and guard Michael Schofield to one-year deals, and there’s no denying that they provide an upgrade at their respective positions.

It’s not necessarily a long-term answer for the offensive line. But considering the state of the roster, it certainly helps to bring in two experienced veteran starters to help protect the team’s hopeful franchise quarterback.

The additions of Reiff and Schofield should paint a clearer picture of what we can expect this offensive line to look like. Reiff should be the starter at left tackle, Schofield should start at right guard while Cody Whitehair and Lucas Patrick fill the left guard and center roles. That leaves the right tackle spot up for grabs, in what should be a battle between last year’s rookie offensive linemen Larry Borom and Teven Jenkins.

But nothing’s official until it’s confirmed. Head coach Matt Eberflus said there’s no timeline for the starting offensive line combination, although they’d prefer to have it locked down as soon as possible.

“There’s not a deadline,” Eberflus said. “But like I said in the spring, the sooner the better. We just added a couple of pieces. So that’s going to be two more pieces to the puzzle.”

I guess you could say Reiff and Schofield are the missing puzzle pieces.

2022 Jaguars training camp: 5 takeaways from Days 1-2

From Trevor Lawrence’s performance so far, to James Robinson’s recovery process, plus more, here are some takeaways we’ve garnered from Jags training camp,

The Jacksonville Jaguars have wrapped up their first two days of training camp under Doug Pederson after taking the field on Monday and Tuesday. Both of these days have been used more as an acclimation period after the team had several weeks off, but they’ve made the most of them and seem like they will be in good shape when the pads go on.

This year there has been a different feel to camp, and it isn’t just because of the Jags’ coaching change. The team has been practicing from a new location just a few miles away from their headquarters at Episcopal School of Jacksonville. Of course, the reason for that is because they are currently having construction done on their practice fields where a whole new football facility is being built. Still, the change hasn’t affected the team much, and it seems like they’ve adapted just fine in Days 1-2.

As for the specifics about how things have gone, here are a few takeaways we’ve gained from the first two days of Jags training camp:

2022 Training Camp: What’s new with the Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys are set to open training camp with some rebuilt units, @BenGrimaldi details three new groups that went through a transition.

Training camp has finally arrived for the Dallas Cowboys. After six months of sadness without football, frustration with offseason decisions and hoping the organization is right about their strategy, reality is about to set in for fans everywhere. Dallas made the decision to rid themselves of some really good players, no matter the reason, and they don’t look as good on paper as the team that won the NFC East and went to the playoffs last season.

However, the ultimate goal is not to win the division. Cowboys fans have been there and seen that in the last 26 seasons. The objective is to make a deep postseason run that ends holding the Lombardi Trophy as Super Bowl champions. That journey begins in training camp and here’s what’s new as the team places one foot in front of the other.

‘I think we’re in better shape’ Jerry Jones says Cowboys improved from this time last year

Despite the offloading of serious talent, Jones feels more optimistic about their chances in 2022 then he did at last year’s camp.

The Dallas Cowboys 2022 season is officially underway. With the opening press conference in Oxnard, CA, training camp has officially begun. Owner Jerry Jones, CEO Stephen Jones and head coach Mike McCarthy took the stage to make their opening salvos and take questions from the gaggle of media in attendance and it feels like football again.

There were a myriad of topics of conversation broached on Tuesday afternoon, but the fundamental discussion is whether or not the Cowboys are in a better position than they were in 2021. After finishing 12-5 in the regular season, Dallas bowed out rather meekly in the playoffs, losing the wild-card contest to San Francisco. The elder Jones, who is ever the optimist gave an extensive answer in regards to where the team stands after several high-visibility departures during the offseason.

Jones stated emphatically, ‘I think we’re in better shape’ than at this point last year, when he feels he situated the team well for a run to the Super Bowl.

“I thought we had a team put together last year that was healthy enough when we got to the playoffs, which was always my fear, how healthy are we going to be in the playoffs. I thought we had a team put together . . .

. . . We had it teed up pretty good, and in my mind, we made a Hell of a run at it. We got disappointed, but we made a run at it. I think we’re in better shape today to make a run at it than when we were sitting here this time last year. And I say that following what I said right before that. I thought last year we had a chance to make a run at it and have people in place that if we were healthy enough we might get them. And I think we’re in better shape.”

Earlier in the press conference Jones referenced the old adage of availability being the best ability and how the lack thereof was the reason they jettisoned some of their top salaries in wideout Amari Cooper, right tackle La’el Collins and defensive end Randy Gregory.

“We lost three really high profile players. Those players were in the top-10 of our players that make the most money. When you get into that spot, I can tell you, your standards go up. Your bar is higher. Your conduct is higher. Your attention to the team is higher, not just your own performance, but everything. When you have that kind of responsibility, which you do when you have that much of the financial pie. So, what I’m trying to say is those decisions were made more about availability than ability, and they were made as to how you arrived at not being unavailable at times.”

All had various amounts of missed time over the last two seasons, injury caused Collins and Gregory to miss several games and Cooper parts of several. Collins also served a five-game suspension in 2021 and Gregory missed the first six contests of 2020 to be reacclimatized after being suspended numerous times.

“Availability had everything to do with it. I’m not trying to talk in pig Latin. I’m trying to be straight. I don’t mean to demean any player. I love those players personally. But you have to have number one thing is how we win a football game if you’re going to be in the top-10 of paid players in my mind for the team. Check ‘I’ at the door. It’s ‘we’ when you go through.”

Whether or not one believes Jones’ remarks to be his true feelings is up to them. Jones’ comments at the annual state of the union always need to be taken with a grain of salt, but one thing is sure. He loves his football team and loves to be given the court to talk about them. Tuesday didn’t sway any of those assessments.

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10 takeaways from report day at Bears training camp

The Bears officially reported to training camp on Tuesday. Here’s what we learned from Ryan Poles, Matt Eberflus, Justin Fields and others.

The Chicago Bears reported to training camp at Halas Hall on Tuesday, which included the arrivals of linebacker Roquan Smith, defensive end Robert Quinn and newly-signed rookie safety Jaquan Brisker.

General manager Ryan Poles, head coach Matt Eberflus and several players, including quarterback Justin Fields, met with the media to field questions ahead of the start of camp.

There was plenty to digest from those press conferences, including discussion about Smith’s contract holdout, an improved offensive line and Poles’ evaluation of Fields heading into the summer.

As the Bears report to training camp, here’s what we learned before they hit the practice field on Wednesday.

Twitter reacts to Bears signing OT Riley Reiff

The Bears made a huge move on the offensive line with the signing of Riley Reiff. See how fans are reacting to the move.

The Chicago Bears boosted their offensive line heading into training camp with the addition of veteran offensive tackle Riley Reiff.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, it’s a one-year deal worth up to $12.5 million with the expected value expected to be $10 million.

Reiff has been solid at left tackle during his decade-long career, which includes a most recent stop with the Cincinnati Bengals. Reiff started 12 games for Cincinnati before landing on injured reserve with an ankle injury in December.

When looking at the state of Chicago’s offensive line, Reiff projects to be their starting left tackle in 2022. Although he can play both left and right tackle, giving him some versatility.

As you can expect, there was plenty of reaction to the Reiff signing. Whether it’s optimism about getting an experienced starting tackle or criticism about the Bears overspending.

Here’s how Twitter is reacting to the Reiff move:

Bears signing OT Riley Reiff to 1-year deal worth up to $12.5 million

The Bears made a big addition to the offensive line with the signing of OT Riley Reiff to a one-year deal.

The Chicago Bears continue to make moves along the offensive line heading into training camp. General manager Ryan Poles announced that the team was signing former Cincinnati Bengals offensive tackle Riley Reiff.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, it’s a one-year deal worth up to $12.5 million with $10 million expected to be earned.

Reiff has been productive at the left tackle position during his 10-year career, which most recently included a stop with the Bengals last season. He started 12 games before landing on injured reserve in December.

Where things stand, Reiff has to be the favorite to win the starting left tackle job heading into training camp.

There’s shaping up to be plenty of competition along the offensive line this summer, particularly at the tackle position. Teven Jenkins, Larry Borom and fifth-round rookie Braxton Jones join Reiff in competition for those starting left and right tackle roles.

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Bears 2022 training camp preview: A breakdown of each position

What does the Bears’ roster look like heading into training camp? Here’s a complete look at our position previews this summer.

The Chicago Bears are kicking off training camp this week under a new regime in general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus. The roster has undergone an overhaul, and there are no shortage of new faces.

Heading into camp, there are plenty positional battles to watch and roster spots to be won or lost at different positions. Chicago’s roster currently stands at 90 and will have to be trimmed to 53 by Aug. 30. But what does the roster look like heading into the summer?

We’ve taken a look at each position group this summer, and we’ve gathered them all right here:

Bears DE Robert Quinn has reported to training camp

While the Bears will be without one of their defensive stars in Roquan Smith to open training camp, Robert Quinn has officially reported.

The Chicago Bears will be without one of their defensive leaders in linebacker Roquan Smith when they open training camp. But the good news is they’ll have one of their other defensive stars in edge rusher Robert Quinn.

According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Quinn reported to Halas Hall on Tuesday for the start of training camp.

Quinn was absent for the entirety of Chicago’s offseason program, including the mandatory portion of minicamp. There’s been speculation about Quinn’s future with the Bears, which has included reports that Quinn wants out of Chicago.

A number of teams made it known they were interested in Quinn during the pre-draft process, but general manager Ryan Poles shut down the possibility. But things can always change.

The Bears traded star pass rusher Khalil Mack earlier this offseason, leaving Quinn as the top guy off the edge. It certainly helps that Quinn is coming off one of the best seasons of his career, where he set a franchise single-season sack record.

Trevis Gipson and newcomer Al-Quadin Muhammad are the other top options at defensive end, and they’ll both be competing for the starting job opposite Quinn.

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Best Chicago Bears Twitter follows for training camp 2022

Make sure you’re following these Twitter accounts as Chicago Bears training camp gets underway.

Chicago Bears training camp is officially upon us as players report to Halas Hall on Tuesday with practices officially beginning on Wednesday.

There are already a number of storylines coming out of Lake Forest this week and more are well on the way. Linebacker Roquan Smith’s possible holdout and defensive end Robert Quinn’s status will be top-of-mind for fans heading into camp. Meanwhile, position battles and roster spot competition will ramp up when practices get underway.

Here are some Bears Twitter accounts to follow to stay current with the latest happenings at Halas Hall.