LAKE FOREST — The Chicago Bears might have picked the wrong day for the media to watch practice if they hoped for positive impressions of the offense.
Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams and the offense struggled Thursday, but if we were at Halas Hall on Day 1 of OTAs, the narrative would’ve been different.
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“I ain’t gonna lie, the first day, the offense kind of got after us a little bit,” safety Kevin Byard said. “(Williams) was making some really good throws. We were in the bubble. He was making some good throws and I mean some deep passes.
“He had a really good day and then today we kind of got after him.”
It’s a tale as old as time in Chicago: An experienced defense had the edge against a young quarterback in a new scheme.
But it’s OTAs. There are no pads. We’re more than three months away from a snap that matters. The usual disclaimers apply.
1. DJ’s new quarterback
Veteran wide receiver DJ Moore is on to yet another new quarterback. He played with eight QBs in Carolina, then caught passes from Justin Fields and Tyson Bagent last season.
Williams is next up.
Droppin' dimes 🔥 pic.twitter.com/moOSY7r0jU
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) May 22, 2024
“You can see that the natural leadership is there, the natural arm talent is there,” Moore said. “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.”
2. Best player, best work ethic
Moore’s chat with the media, his first since the end of last season, was part stand-up routine. When asked why a player of his caliber makes it a point to be at OTAs in May, he referenced his workout bonus.
Some Moore OTA content for ya 💫 pic.twitter.com/vIrdcruE1y
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) May 22, 2024
“Shoot, 200 grand on the line. I want to be here to make that money,” he said. “But outside of that, you got to get that connection down with Caleb and with everybody, even Rome (Odunze) and the whole room. The whole offense just wants to be around each other and build that bond, the relationships that we had last year and form it with new people.”
GO DEEPERCaleb Williams vs. the Bears defense: Are you ready for a fascinating summer?Coach Matt Eberflus emphasized why he wants the team’s top players to also set an example as workers, and Moore is atop that list.
“He’s as tough as they come and he is a great teammate and he is our hardest worker and one of our most talented guys,” Eberflus said. “That’s the example all of the young guys follow because No. 1, the talent, but then they see the work ethic.”
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Moore was a bit taken aback when he heard Eberflus’ praise, knowing what a high bar that is.
“I’m just going to work and having fun,” he said. “I turn everything into a competition with everybody and I think everybody feeds off of that, even in the room.”
3. Attendance report
Right tackle Darnell Wright, right guard Nate Davis, defensive end Montez Sweat, wide receiver Velus Jones and wide receiver Keenan Allen were among those absent from Thursday’s practice.
Thursday’s voluntary practice, that is.
Moore said that Allen was with his family for his daughter and wife’s birthdays. No updates were given on the other players who were not at Halas Hall, but Eberflus did say that every player on the roster has been in the building at some point during the offseason.
The Slayer pic.twitter.com/lGMLqjEhtW
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) May 17, 2024
4. Odunze update
Eberflus did offer some details on the rookie wide receiver who missed the second day of rookie minicamp because of hamstring tightness.
“Rome’s starting to work out there — you guys saw that,” he said. “Did some walkthroughs today. We’re hopeful that he’ll be starting to ramp back in there next week during the OTAs that we have next week.”
If Odunze’s injury was worse, we might not get an update, or certainly not the hope that he’d be back next week, so that could be considered a positive development.
GO DEEPERChicago Bears 2024 schedule: Spotlight shines on Caleb Williams early, often5. Gervon’s Year 2 jump
Expect to read and hear a lot about Gervon Dexter this offseason. He’s the prototypical player to monitor as someone who could provide that sophom*ore ascent. The Bears also showed faith in him by not adding a veteran or rookie three-technique.
“I noticed the body composition first. It was really good,” Eberflus said. “He changed his body in the time he was off, so he’s much leaner now and he’s quicker. He really looks good in terms of his get-off. That was one thing he had to work on and then pad level, because he’s such a big guy, tall guy. And he’s worked on those things. But his movement, his athletic ability is even better now because he really worked on his body.”
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We’ll have to wait until late July to see how that translates when the pads come on, but Dexter seemed to do all the right things this offseason as he prepared for a bigger role.
6. Byard’s acclimation
The veteran defense that looked so good working together Thursday has almost all its starters back from last season. The most notable change is at safety, where Byard took over for Eddie Jackson.
“The culture is great here,” he said. “Guys are hungry. I think just feeling the energy around the city, it’s really building up. It’s an exciting time right now. And obviously now we’re starting to practice. The energy has been there. The intensity has been there. And that’s what you want to see early in OTAs, guys are flying around trying to make plays and trying to make each other better.”
Lookin' forward to seeing @KevinByard in action 🙌 pic.twitter.com/JGn0BtDOvg
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) March 27, 2024
The Bears signed Byard nine days after he was cut by the Eagles.
“His production speaks for itself,” defensive coordinator Eric Washington said. “And so from afar, you look at that, you see a safety who has that type of ball production and then you get him here, you see the command, the intelligence, his ability to communicate very quickly, especially as we need to make adjustments before the ball is snapped. I just like him, he’s got a great personality.”
GO DEEPERThe DJ Moore-Keenan Allen effect, Velus Jones on kickoff returns: Bears takeaways7. Brisker, Byard patrolling the secondary
When Byard arrived in Chicago, he referred to fellow safety Jaquan Brisker as an “ascending player.” Now he’s gotten a few weeks to work with him and can see how they complement each other.
“Just his versatility,” Byard said about Brisker’s skill set. “That’s one thing I like about playing with him because I know a little bit of last year was kind of like (Jackson) was kind of in the back or whatever and he was kind of in the box. I don’t want to see that this year at least for us early on. Just kind of work it, hey, let’s be versatile. I don’t want teams to get a bead on, ‘Hey, you’re in the box or I’m deep’ or anything like that.
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“He’s been really good with that. He’s vocal like I am about wanting the details with different coverages with the coaches. … He’s very coachable. He’s fun to play with and all the guys in the secondary are like that. That’s what you want. The confidence that he has going into Year 3 reminds me of myself.”
8. Washington’s opportunity
Washington spent time this week in Nashville for the NFL’s annual accelerator program. The Bears nominated Washington to attend — special teams coordinator Richard Hightower went last season.
The accelerator “serves as a platform for clubs and owners to engage with qualified coaching candidates from diverse backgrounds.” Washington got to do a mock interview and meet with club decision-makers.
“It was an outstanding event,” he said. “Very informative, and I like to think that not only was the information useful and valuable for me, but these are things that can enhance my role and I can pass along to my colleagues.”
GO DEEPERBears coaches offer their first impressions of Caleb Williams: 'Super competitive'9. Moore’s acting career
The Bears’ schedule release video, an ode to high school movies filmed in Chicago, starred Moore as Ferris Bueller. He said he’d give himself a B+.
“It was fun — the whole experience,” he said. “I actually got to watch the movie two times to see how to play Ferris. I was pretty excited to see the final product.”
The season moves pretty fast.
If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. pic.twitter.com/MpXMPEcTD6
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) May 16, 2024
10. Quick hits
• Bears offensive assistant Ryan Griffin isn’t at Halas Hall yet because he’s still playing football — in Italy. Eberflus said Griffin should be back for mandatory veteran minicamp, which begins June 4.
• One of the several highlights for the defense was a Josh Blackwell leaping pass breakup of a Tyson Bagen pass in red-zone drills.
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• Two of the newcomers on offense definitely show how things have been upgraded. Running back D’Andre Swift showed his wiggle and first-step quickness on a couple of catches out of the backfield, and tight end Gerald Everett’s athleticism was on display when he made a reception and turned and ran upfield near the goal line.
(Photo of DJ Moore: Kamil Krzaczynski / USA Today)
Kevin Fishbain is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Chicago Bears. He spent the 2013-16 seasons on the Bears beat for Shaw Media publications, including the Northwest Herald, Daily Chronicle and Joliet Herald-News. Previously, he covered the NFL from 2010 to 2012 for Pro Football Weekly. Follow Kevin on Twitter @kfishbain
