Tag: bears otas

Bear Necessities: Recapping OTAs and ‘Hard Knocks’ selection

The Bears wrapped OTAs this week and were announced as the featured team on “Hard Knocks.” We recap that and other headlines.

This is our online morning newsletter, Bear Necessities — weekly offseason edition. Subscribe to get the latest Bears news delivered to your mailbox every day.

What’s the latest with the Chicago Bears?

The Bears wrapped organized team activities (OTAs) this week at Halas Hall, where rookies and veterans took to the practice field for the final three of six voluntary practices ahead of mandatory minicamp.

Here’s a look at the most recent and relevant Bears stories for the week of May 26.

OTAs

Hard Knocks

Other headlines

Bears rotating Ryan Bates, Coleman Shelton at center

Ryan Bates and Coleman Shelton each saw reps as the first-team center during Bears OTAs.

There are no shortage of storylines surrounding the Chicago Bears this offseason. Whether it’s rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, the receiving trio of DJ Moore, Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze or a potential top-10, ascending defense.

One of the more underrated storylines this offseason is the competition at center between newcomers Ryan Bates, acquired via trade, and Coleman Shelton, signed in free agency.

During these two weeks of organized team activities practices, Bates and Shelton each saw reps as the first-team center. Bates was the starting center last week while Shelton was the starter this week.

“We’ve been rotating some,” said Bears coach Matt Eberflus.

The Bears have been lacking consistency at the center position for a few years now, and it remains the biggest mark for the offensive line heading into the 2024 season.

Bates and Shelton both have experience at center, although Shelton was a two-year starter at center with the Los Angeles Rams and Bates had limited snaps at center with the Buffalo Bills.

This will be a position battle to watch throughout the offseason, especially heading into training camp. Chicago will like to have a starter in place as soon as possible with a rookie quarterback in Caleb Williams under center.

WATCH: Caleb Williams launches deep pass to DJ Moore at Bears OTAs

Caleb Williams and DJ Moore ended Bears OTAs on a high note with this impressive play.

The Chicago Bears wrapped up the last of their organized team activities (OTAs) on Friday, and quarterback Caleb Williams and the offense made sure to end on a high note.

With the media in attendance, the Bears offense rebounded from a rough first week. Williams was dialed in, completing 13 of 15 passes in 7-on-7 drills, according to The Athletic’s Adam Jahns. Williams’ production came against the starting defense, though they were missing a number of starters in the secondary, including Jaylon Johnson, Jaquan Brisker, and Kevin Byard.

The Bears shared one of those throws on social media, which was a deep pass to wide receiver DJ Moore. Williams loaded up and fired a long pass to Moore in the middle of the field, with safety Elijah Hicks in coverage. Moore adjusted slightly to make the catch as Williams put the ball where Hicks couldn’t get it. The clip then cuts to Moore dancing and celebrating with his teammates after the big play.

Since Keenan Allen has been absent from OTAs and rookie Rome Odunze missed a week due to injury, Williams and Moore have had numerous opportunities to establish their connection in practice. It looks to be in good shape heading into the team’s mandatory minicamp next week. Williams, Moore, and the rest of the Bears will be back on the practice field beginning June 4th.

Bears OTAs: Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon, Jaquan Brisker among players absent for Friday’s practice

The Bears held their sixth and final OTA practice on Friday. Here are the players who were not present or did not practice.

The Chicago Bears wrapped up their sixth and final day of voluntary organized team activities (OTAs) on Friday. It was the second practice open to the media, giving those in attendance a chance to see how the team has improved from last week. As is the case for voluntary practices, though, there were a few notable players absent from Friday’s session—including much of the starting secondary.

Cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon and safeties Jaquan Brisker and Kevin Byard were not present. Wide receiver Keenan Allen and defensive end Montez Sweat, who missed last Thursday’s practice, were also absent once again.

Meanwhile, guard Nate Davis, defensive end DeMarcus Walker, and linebacker TJ Edwards were at practice but did not participate. Guard Teven Jenkins did not participate in team drills, according to NBC Sports Chicago’s Josh Schrock.

With much of the starting secondary missing, the offense was able to capitalize with a strong practice. According to The Athletic’s Adam Jahns, rookie quarterback Caleb Williams completed 13 of 15 passes in 7-on-7 against the first-string defense. It was a strong day for the young signal caller, as he was able to bounce back from a rough outing last week.

As for why players like Johnson and Gordon were absent, head coach Matt Eberflus declined to go into specifics, but it is worth noting that Johnson has a charity outing for his foundation, “Kevvy’s Vision,” this weekend in California, per The Athletic’s Kevin Fishbain. Eberflus expects everyone to be back next week, however, when mandatory minicamp gets underway. Those practices take place June 4–6.

Photos from Day 6 of Chicago Bears 2024 OTAs

The Bears conducted their sixth and final OTA practice on Thursday. Take a look at the action:

The Chicago Bears have wrapped organized team activities at Halas Hall.

Chicago conducted their sixth and final practice of OTAs on Thursday, which was open to the media and allowed another look at rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, who had a strong outing against a secondary missing most of its starters.

Here’s a look at some photos from Thursday’s final voluntary practice ahead of mandatory minicamp next week:

WATCH: Bears rookies Caleb Williams, Rome Odunze hook up for big gain in OTAs

The Bears rookie duo of Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze are putting on a show at OTAs.

The Chicago Bears are nearing the end of organized team activities ahead of mandatory minicamp in June, and rookie quarterback Caleb Williams has been a focal point throughout the spring.

While Williams has battled some anticipated ups and downs early this offseason, his connection with fellow rookie, wide receiver Rome Odunze, has been thriving.

The Bears social accounts shared a clip of Williams connecting with Odunze during the second week of OTAs, where Williams perfectly placed a pass to Odunze with cornerback Tyrique Stevenson in coverage.

Williams and Odunze, drafted first and ninth overall, respectively, have quickly developed a connection that was first on display during rookie minicamp. While Odunze missed the first week of OTAs due to hamstring tightness, he was back on the practice field this week and the rookie duo picked up right where they left off earlier this month.

With the receiver trio featuring DJ Moore, Keenan Allen and Odunze and an impressive veteran secondary including Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon, Tyrique Stevenson, Jaquan Brisker and Kevin Byard, those 1-on-1 battles are going to be must-see during training camp.

Bear Necessities: Recapping the first week of OTAs

The Bears kicked off OTAs this week. We recap that and other headlines.

This is our online morning newsletter, Bear Necessities — weekly offseason edition. Subscribe to get the latest Bears news delivered to your mailbox every day.

What’s the latest with the Chicago Bears?

The Bears kicked off organized team activities (OTAs) this week at Halas Hall, where rookies and veterans took to the practice field for the first three of six voluntary practices before mandatory minicamp.

Here’s a look at the most recent and relevant Bears stories for the week of May 19.

OTAs

Other headlines

DJ Moore shares early impressions of Bears rookie Caleb Williams

Bears WR DJ Moore has been impressed with what he’s seen from rookie QB Caleb Williams already.

The Chicago Bears are ushering in a new era with quarterback Caleb Williams, who was selected with the No. 1 pick.

While wide receiver DJ Moore was a big proponent of Justin Fields remaining in Chicago, he understands the business of the NFL and is now going to bat for his new QB.

“Business is business. I seen it coming,” Moore said. “So, at the end of the day, (Fields) was the quarterback last year, now we got Caleb. We’re gonna ride through H-E-L-L and back with him, so I’m just looking forward to seeing what he put out.”

Moore shared his early impressions of Williams, who he worked out with on a couple of occasions before the start of OTAs. While Moore praised Williams’ natural playmaking ability, he also hailed the rookie’s leadership.

“You can see that the natural leadership is there,” Moore said. “The natural arm talent is there. Everything about him, it’s just always a positive thing. Even when he has a bad play, he’s looking to learn real fast right after. That’s all you can ask of him, for him to quickly forget but also learn at the same time.”

Case in point, Thursday’s practice at the conclusion of the first week of OTAs. Williams and the offense, down Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze, Darnell Wright and Nate Davis, had a rough outing where there were a lot of incompletions and interceptions.

But, as safety Kevin Byard and Moore pointed out, that’s to be expected and those are the practices that are going to help Williams in the long run as he makes his acclimation to the NFL.

“You just gotta know that the growing pains are going to be there,” Moore said.

Kevin Byard’s message to Bears rookie Caleb Williams after rough practice

Following a rough practice, Kevin Byard told Caleb Williams the Bears defense is going to “keep making him better.”

The Chicago Bears kicked off organized team activities this week, which gave rookie quarterback Caleb Williams his first opportunity to practice with his veteran teammates.

While Williams and the offense had a strong outing on Monday, it sounds like the defense has been ahead of the offense at this point of the offseason, as expected. Which makes sense considering they’re in the third year of Matt Eberflus’ defense while the offense is still learning Shane Waldron’s new scheme.

Thursday’s practice, which was open to the media, was a rough outing for Williams and the offense. Down two starting receivers (Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze) and offensive linemen (Darnell Wright and Nate Davis), there were a lot of incomplete passes, interceptions and red-zone inefficiency during team drills.

“The first day. The offense really got after us,” said safety Kevin Byard. “[Williams] made some good throws. Some deep passes. He had a really good day. Today, we got after him.”

Following that rough practice on Thursday, Byard had a message for the rookie quarterback about the benefit of those kind of days.

“Not necessarily saying that he [Williams] had a terrible day, but days like this are gonna make you better,” Byard said. “So that’s our job and, like I said, obviously, just the first three days of practice he’s done a lot of positive things. He’s made some really great throws. Just coming in with that swag as a rookie quarterback, he doesn’t seem flustered by anything, so that’s exciting to see.”

Byard said the defense will continue to “make it as hard as possible” on Williams, which will ultimately benefit the team in the long run.

It’s far too early to overreact to May practices where Williams is getting his first action in Waldron’s offense. But going against a top defense in practice every day will be key for Williams as he acclimates to the NFL.

DJ Moore, Matt Eberflus talk Bears offense’s early struggles during OTAs

The Bears offense had its ups and downs through the first week of OTAs as they learn a new scheme.

The Chicago Bears’ first week of organized team activities is underway with the players working to get their minds and bodies prepared for training camp later in the summer.

In the perpetual battle between offense and defense, it seems that the defenders have the upper hand this week, tapping into that same intensity they found late last season.

The offense came into OTAs with a few disadvantages, however. They’re learning a new scheme designed by offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, and they lined up against the defense short a few starters.

Bears coach Matt Eberflus acknowledged the team’s struggles as a whole in the first stage of OTAs, but he asserts that his squad is making strides in the right direction.

“It’s not perfect right now, by any stretch of the imagination,” Eberflus said. “That’s defense, offense, special teams. Everything’s a work in progress, but we’re certainly making progress.”

Bears wide receiver DJ Moore has done this song and dance several times through his seven years in the league, and he had a level-headed response when asked about the offense’s early woes.

“It’s frustrating, but we also know that we’re learning a new system,” Moore said. “They’ve been in that system for what, like three years right now? And then they don’t make it no better that they’re out there having fun with it and we’re just frustrated because we’re not accomplishing what we want to. But on the flip side, we know that we’re still learning and coming together as an offense.”

The 2024 rendition of the Bears has yet to be molded into a product that can seriously compete this year. They have several months of sculpting to do before they’re put to the test in Week 1.