Tag: Zachary Thomas

Rookies have been stealing the show at Bears training camp

The Bears have one week of training camp in the books, and it’s been the rookies who have made strong impressions.

The Bears have wrapped their first week of training camp, and it’s been the rookies who have been making strong impressions through the first four practices.

Chicago’s top rookies cornerback Kyler Gordon and safety Jaquan Brisker were among the standouts, where they’re establishing themselves as turnover machines. Both Gordon and Brisker have come away with interceptions of quarterback Justin Fields, where their impressive skillsets are on display.

“Ball hawks; that’s what they are, that’s why we brought them here,” said head coach Matt Eberflus. “A person doesn’t change from college. If they have ball skills in college, they still have it. We enhance them by being fanatical and us practicing the way we practice and the drills we do that we’ve done forever and the new ones that we’re incorporating now. We’ll enhance that skill. But it’s got to be a want-to.”

Both Gordon and Brisker, who are expected to start immediately as rookies, could be a problem for opposing offenses. Brisker will be the starting strong safety opposite Eddie Jackson while Gordon has been getting looks both outside and at nickel cornerback.

Then there’s wide receiver Velus Jones Jr., whose blazing speed and playmaking ability has been obvious. On Saturday, Jones was one of the few positives for the offense. He hauled in two deep balls from Fields, including an over-the-shoulder catch from Fields going against Gordon. He’s getting looks at multiple positions at receiver, with the goal being to get him as many opportunities as they can.

“They’re moving me from Z, F, X,” Jones said. “They want me to know everything, so it’s been really fun getting to work with my QBs and stuff like that. But they know my abilities. They know the reason why they drafted me. I am really good with the ball in my hands. Wherever they need me to be, I’m just going to be there and execute.”

The Bears haven’t been afraid to give all of their rookies some valuable reps, and that was especially true along the offensive line last week. All four rookie offensive linemen were starting at one point during Friday’s practice — due to Lucas Patrick’s injury and Cody Whitehair’s veteran rest day.

But from everything we’ve seen dating back to the spring, Chicago feels comfortable putting these rookies in this position. Braxton Jones is competing for a starting tackle job, Zachary Thomas has been a solid No. 2 behind Whitehair, Doug Kramer has been seeing plenty of reps at center with Patrick sidelined and Ja’Tyre Carter has recently seen an uptick in reps at right guard.

While the Bears might not have any rookies starting on the offensive line, they’re certainly getting their opportunities early in camp.

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Bears O-Line Watch: Breaking down Day 3 of training camp

We’re breaking down the Bears offensive line after the third practice of training camp.

The Chicago Bears have kicked off training camp, and there are plenty of storylines we’re monitoring this summer. One of the biggest is the offensive line — specifically, what will the starting combination look like? And how quickly are they going to figure that out?

Head coach Matt Eberflus reiterated that all starting combinations are open heading into training camp. Although it certainly appears that things are becoming clearer following the additions of veterans Riley Reiff and Michael Schofield.

“We have to keep an open mind into the best combination, the best five, and the best three guys after that,” Eberflus said. “So it’s important that we keep an open mind.”

There were some interesting developments during Friday’s practice, which at one time featured four rookies starting during team drills.

Here’s a look at how the offensive line shook out during the second practice of training camp on Thursday, focusing on left tackle, right guard, right tackle and center.

Ranking Bears’ 2022 rookies by potential Year 1 impact

The Bears have an intriguing group of rookies who could be significant contributors in 2022. We rank our top 10 by potential impact.

The Chicago Bears roster has undergone significant changes this offseason under new general manager Ryan Poles, who is building the roster his way. But perhaps his biggest contribution so far is his 2022 NFL draft class (and undrafted free agent class).

The Bears have a number of talented players who are primed to be significant contributors as rookies, including their top selections cornerback Kyler Gordon, safety Jaquan Brisker and wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. But there are some other surprise players who could carve out some nice roles for themselves this season.

Ahead of training camp, we’re ranking the top Bears rookies by their projected impact in 2022.

16 takeaways from Bears’ second day of mandatory minicamp

The Bears returned for Day 2 of mandatory minicamp on Wednesday, and there was plenty to digest. Here’s what we learned from practice:

The Chicago Bears returned to Halas Hall for their second practice of mandatory minicamp, and there was no shortage of storylines on Day 2.

Despite the excruciating heat, the Bears were back on the practice field as their offseason program winds to a close.

There was plenty to unpack following Wednesday’s practice, including quarterback Justin Fields’ strong day, rookies making plays, more shifting along the offensive line and some notable absences on Day 2.

Chicago has one more practice on Thursday before breaking for the summer and returning in late July for training camp.

Here’s what we learned from the second day of Bears minicamp:

Bears had 3 rookies playing with starting offensive line on Day 2 of minicamp

Three Bears rookies got their opportunity to work with the starting offensive line on Day 2 of mandatory minicamp.

There’s been a lot of attention on the Bears offensive line this offseason, and there are still many questions lingering ahead of training camp.

The team has been experimenting with different offensive line combinations to find the right group of guys to start the season, something that’s expected to carry over into training camp.

Fifth-round rookie Braxton Jones has been taking reps at left tackle with the starters during the final week of organized team activities and now mandatory minicamp.

But it was Wednesday’s practice that certainly drew heads as not one but three rookies were working with the starting offensive line. Jones remained at left tackle while sixth-rounder Zachary Thomas saw reps at left guard and sixth-rounder Doug Kramer worked at center.

Cody Whitehair had an excused absence for Wednesday’s practice while Lucas Patrick was present but didn’t participate in team drills.

Head coach Matt Eberflus told reporters that he’s not scared of giving younger players an opportunity to play, which is the antithesis of former head coach Matt Nagy.

“We’re not afraid to put young guys in there and let them go and let them play,” he said.

With that in mind, the Bears starting offensive line isn’t set. But it’s expected to feature all veterans, including former second-round pick Teven Jenkins, who’s recently worked with the second-team offense during OTAs and minicamp.

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Bears sign sixth-round rookie OL Zachary Thomas

The Bears signed OL Zachary Thomas, which leaves CB Kyler Gordon, S Jaquan Brisker and WR Velus Jones Jr. as the only rookies yet to sign.

The Chicago Bears have signed sixth-round offensive lineman Zachary Thomas to his rookie contract, the team announced Monday.

Thomas was one of four offensive linemen selected on Day 3 of the 2022 NFL draft. Chicago has plenty of questions at offensive line, including a vacant starting job. While Thomas played mostly right tackle and left tackle during his collegiate career at San Diego State, the Bears will likely kick him over to guard, where it just so happens there’s currently a starting right guard job up for grabs.

The Bears previously signed fifth-round offensive lineman Braxton Jones and edge rusher Dominique Robinson along with sixth-round picks running back Trestan Ebner and offensive lineman Doug Kramer and seventh-round selections offensive lineman Ja’Tyre Carter, safety Elijah Hicks and punter Trenton Gill.

The only 2022 draft picks that remain unsigned are second rounders cornerback Kyler Gordon and safety Jaquan Brisker, as well as third-round wide receiver Velus Jones Jr.

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Bears assign jersey numbers for their 2022 draft class

From CB Kyler Gordon to P Trenton Gill, here’s the complete list of jersey numbers for the Bears’ rookie class.

Now that the Chicago Bears 2022 rookie draft class is making their way to Halas Hall, they’ll have some new threads to really make themselves feel at home.

On Wednesday afternoon, the team announced the new jersey numbers for the 11 players selected last weekend during the 2022 NFL Draft.

From cornerback Kyler Gordon to punter Trenton Gill, here’s the complete list of jersey numbers for the team’s rookie class.

Twitter reacts to Bears adding more OL help in Zach Thomas

The Bears doubled down on offensive linemen on Day 3 of the NFL draft. Here’s how fans are reacting to the addition of Zach Thomas.

The selections keep rolling in for the Chicago Bears and general manager Ryan Poles.

Chicago began their day by selecting an offensive lineman in Braxton Jones and found themselves another in the sixth round. The Bears selected offensive lineman Zachary Thomas out of San Diego State with the 186th overall pick.

Thomas has experience at both guard and tackle, but likely projects as a guard in the NFL. He started at right tackle for the Aztecs in 2020 and moved to the left side in 2021.

As the Bears continue to bolster their offensive line, here’s how Twitter reacted to the latest pick.

An offensive tackle for Chargers in each round of 2022 NFL draft

Laying out an offensive tackle for the Los Angeles Chargers in each round of this year’s draft.

The Chargers have a few positions that need to be addressed in the upcoming draft, but offensive tackle sits near the top.

Luckily, this year’s crop has starting-caliber talent from the first day of the draft until Day 3.

With that being said, here’s a tackle from each round that could fit in Los Angeles:

Round 1, Trevor Penning, Northern Iowa

Mississippi State’s Charles Cross would be the guy slotted here, but I am trying to also keep this as realistic as possible with players that will still be on the board when the Chargers are on the clock, and I believe that Cross will likely be gone within the first 15 selections.

Penning checks off on the measurables, hovering at 6-foot-7 and 325 pounds with arms longer than 34 inches. Along with that, he possesses the athleticism, having run an elite 40 yard dash time of 4.89 seconds and 7.25 seconds in the three-cone drill.

On the field, while he needs to clean up his leverage and hand usage to avoid penalties in the NFL, Penning has the size, movement skills to match, and a nasty temperament in the run game to start opposite Rashawn Slater right off the bat.

Round 3, Nicholas Petit-Frere, Ohio State

Petit-Frere made 19 career starts with the Buckeyes, with seven coming at right tackle in 2020 and 12 at left tackle in 2021. During his college career, he allowed 36 pressures and three sacks while earning PFF run-blocking grades of 72.7 and 84.3 in his final two years.

At 6-foot-5 and 316 pounds with 33 5/8-inch arms, Petit-Frere looks the part of an NFL offensive tackle, and he plays with athleticism, flexibility and lower body explosion, controlling rushers in pass protection and moving bodies in the run game, but he will need to develop his anchor.

Round 4, Max Mitchell, Louisiana

Mitchell led all FBS tackles with a 94.8 PFF grade, as he allowed only 13 pressures and three sacks last season while racking up the third-most big-time run blocks. In addition, he never committed a penalty or missed an offensive snap.

While he did not test very well at the Combine and will need to continue to get stronger, Mitchell is a tough-minded tackle, with the positioning and foot quickness to mirror and match, great hand techniques to keep rushers at bay, and run-blocking consistency at the first and second levels.

Round 5, Braxton Jones, Southern Utah

Jones started 30 games, primarily at left tackle en route to earning First-Team All-American in his final two seasons.

He has outstanding size and length at 6-foot-5 and 310 pounds with 35 3/8″ arms coupled with above-average athleticism, as evident with a 4.97 40 time and 4.84 short shuttle.

Jones will need to continue to get stronger, but he has solid foundation traits, with flexibility, footwork, and hand placement to be effective as a tackle at the next level.

Round 6, Zachary Thomas, San Diego State

Thomas was a three-year starter for the Aztecs at left and right tackle. At his best as a run-blocker, Thomas had a 90.1 grade on that front in 2020, fourth-best among FBS tackles, and an 89.6 grade in 2021.

Thomas shows functional athleticism, quality strength/leverage, comfortability as a reach and second-level blocker, and a high level of intelligence as far as picking up stunts/blitzes goes. Further, he has the potential to play some guard at the next level.

Round 7, Jean Delance, Florida

Delance possesses the ideal measurables and resume for an NFL offensive lineman at 6-foot-5 and 303 pounds with over 36-inch arms coupled with 37 SEC starts under his belt, playing both tackle and guard.

Delance was a key member of Gator’s starting five, keeping rushers at bay with his athleticism and vine-like arms, all while paving the way in the run game, as they ranked No. 4 in the SEC in rushing offense in 2021.