LAKE FOREST, Ill. — If Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams and wide receiver Keenan Allen are a productive tandem from the jump, they can point to spring nights at a hotel during OTAs.
The two would watch the NBA playoffs while playing “Monopoly Deal,” then pause to test each other on the playbook.
“He’d call out the play, I’d draw it up, vice versa, while we’re sitting there watching the NBA playoffs,” Allen said Saturday. “Just being able to go through it with him, we talk about the play — what I like, what I’m used to, what I usually see — and then going over the knowledge, making sure we’re on the same page.
“Just being able to communicate at this level. Obviously you’ve got new terminology from college and you’re going to get different coverages, too. Just giving him the knowledge that I was taught being with guys like Philip Rivers, obviously Justin Herbert, and just making sure we’re seeing things the same way.”
Day 1️⃣ pic.twitter.com/dIssgJjYRa
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) July 20, 2024
The first practice of Bears camp was light — the pads don’t come on for another week. But we did see a side-armed throw from Williams to the 12-year veteran in a two-minute drill.
“I’m just trying to get into a spot where I can see him, and if I can see the arm angle, see the ball come out then I’m fine,” Allen said. “I don’t really care how it gets there.”
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The highlight of the day may have been when Williams’ pass deflected off defensive tackle Gervon Dexter and sailed into the air, coming down in Williams’ hands as he then took off for extra yards.
“That’s pretty cool, right?” Matt Eberflus said. “… You know, he told me the other day. I said, man … his body looks like a big safety, right, almost. He goes, well I played running back. And he says, I also played linebacker. I said, you must be a tough guy. But he is. He’s a tough guy. And he’s got good quickness. You saw that right there. He’s got good quickness, obviously a good athlete.”
Few, if any hiccups on Day 1
A common theme from OTAs and minicamp was the offense struggling to operate as one. Williams talked about his learning curve with the cadence, calling the play out for his O-linemen. And the rest of the offense is learning Shane Waldron’s scheme.
They didn’t run a ton of plays Saturday morning, but Eberflus saw only one play that wasn’t necessarily gotten to efficiently.
“First of all, we gave (Williams) a lot during the spring and in the summer, same thing — formation, motion, understanding a concept, run kills, kill to run, kill to pass, alerts,” Eberflus said. “All those things were a couple levels up, and you could see it. How do you see it? You see it in the execution. They’re in and out of the huddle. I think we only had one today where they weren’t, and it was much better.”
Allen said Williams “called the plays way better than he was at OTAs. He felt confident in the plays and knowing what he was doing. There was no timidness from him today.”
‘It’s about action at this point’
Fifth-year corner Jaylon Johnson reminded us that while expectations are rising on the outside, he was in Halas Hall when there was a lot of talent.
In 2020, the Bears did make the playoffs — an oft-forgotten season, for many reasons — and he was on a roster with several Pro Bowlers. So maybe a better team isn’t new, but he’s ready for a breakthrough.
“I feel like I’ve been on some talented rosters to where we’ve had a lot of upside,” he said. “I feel like for me it’s one of those things where I’m tired of just having upside and having potential. I want to be in a position where we actually go out there and we are that and not just what we’re projected to be.
“It’s about action at this point.”
New look for @NBAxJay1 👀 pic.twitter.com/DsUGnmV7cp
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) May 22, 2024
And no one should worry about Johnson lowering the bar for himself after a career year and a lucrative contract extension. Not that anyone would.
“I still got a third contract to get,” he said. “So I feel like for me it’s just, of course, resetting. But even then I was second-team All-Pro. I feel like for me, I could’ve — I should’ve — been first-team. You look at the numbers, look at who was first-team, that was definitely something I could’ve got. This year I definitely want to get first-team.
“Shoot, there’s winning. Playoffs. Super Bowl. There’s still a lot to prove. But I mean, shoot, these next two, three years is my resume for my third contract, so it don’t stop because I got my second contract.”
Ready for more Velus
The new kickoff rule will debut in Canton on Aug. 1 when the Bears face the Texans. For a team that boasts one of the league’s top kickoff returners in Velus Jones Jr., getting more returns in the game is welcome at Halas Hall.
Jones has watched XFL tape to see other returns, but has been practicing catching unique types of kicks to prepare for the unknown.
“We’ve been working on different kinds of catches — if they try to squib kick it, short line drives,” he said. “Our main goal is to catch the ball moving forward. That’ll put you at an advantage, especially somebody like me.”
Helloooo @VelusJr
📺: #CHIvsATL on FOX pic.twitter.com/pp9VIemUdp
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) November 20, 2022
Jones obviously likes any rule that is going to increase his chances to have the football, but he also pointed out the expected impact on player safety, as the new rule will hopefully reduce injuries on kickoffs. It also makes someone like Jones, who has struggled to gain consistency as a receiver, more valuable.
“It also helped us returners level up our game, give us more opportunities to get a spot on the roster,” he said. “Doing whatever it takes.”
For Jones, extra kickoffs mean extra reps at what has been his top trait in the NFL. That might help explain how confident and relaxed he feels at the start of his third camp as a pro.
“I’m more at ease. I’m back to myself,” he said. “…Just smile and have fun. I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t any good. Go out there and do me — be fast, don’t let anybody touch me, and be physical.”
Balancing preseason reps
With less than two weeks until the Hall of Fame game, the Bears’ coaches and personnel staff will be sorting through their preseason plan. Eberflus will want Williams to get some reps, and he still sees value in it, as the preseason has gotten less attention over the years.
“The preseason reps are important,” he said. “I know everybody’s preseason bugaboo on that. Like, Holy Moses. OK. But, however, those are important, like I said, equally important, because you get to see different skill sets. It’s probably going to be a little bit vanilla. But you’ll see the speed and all of that other stuff.”
If Williams does get his 45-55 snaps, they likely won’t all include Allen, entering his 12th NFL season. The veteran wideout said he’s gone through both sides, from playing to sitting out the preseason, and he does see how it could help a rookie QB to be out there more than usual.
“Being able to play in those conditions where the intensity is high, the game speed is maxed out and you know you’re not taking practice reps,” he said. “Getting in there the first game of the season and you’re like, ‘Oh, s—. That’s way faster than we thought.’ You want to get those in earlier than you can.”
The Slayer ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/Q6TN6Xv5gL
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) July 19, 2024
Quick hits
• Gerald Everett’s placement on the non-football injury list didn’t come as a surprise when the players reported Friday. Eberflus said they knew he had an injury from training. “It’s day to day and we’ll see where it goes,” he said. “It was nothing major.”
• Rookie wide receiver Rome Odunze missed Saturday’s practice for a personal reason but is expected back Sunday.
• Left tackle Braxton Jones and linebacker T.J. Edwards are beginning camp as limited participants because of lingering injuries from the spring. Larry Borom got reps as the first-team left tackle.
• The Bears will not have their annual “Family Fest” practice this summer at Soldier Field. Eberflus said the timing of the Hall of Fame game and their practice schedule didn’t align with Soldier Field’s concert schedule. “I love that experience because it’s great for the players to be able to get in there and do that,” he said. “It just didn’t work.”
(Top photo of Caleb Williams: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
