The Chicago Bears’ offense reportedly looked worse than what was initially presented to fans following Thursday’s practice. Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams completed about a handful of passes during 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 periods Thursday.
Safety Kevin Byard told the media following the practice that the Bears’ offense looked good on Day 1, but the defense has brought the fire since. So, while the Bears’ offense has the excuse that they’re learning a new system, they shouldn’t have regressed so dramatically since Day 1.
Progress is slow going for the offense.
Caleb Williams said he knew enough to teach at rookie minicamp
Before the start of rookie minicamp, Williams made a point to brag that he understood the playbook enough to “teach” his offensive teammates during practice:
“[I’m] diving into the playbook, getting to a point where there are certain things that I can teach some of the guys that they’re not understanding, that I may understand,” Williams said. “Being able to teach is always big because it’s also another way for you to learn, and it also shows you how much that you know.”
The Bears offense has much to know, and Williams has a lot to learn about the playbook himself.
The Chicago Bears offense couldn’t get plays off at practice Thursday
According to Jon Greenberg with The Athletic, the Bears offense was so behind in the playbook that they were unable to line up correctly or get plays off in time. Some of Williams’ struggles during the team period were because he was under constant duress and his wide receivers were unable to get open:
When we watched the red zone drills, Williams was constantly under pressure while his receivers (which didn’t include Rome Odunze or Keenan Allen) tried to get open. There were a few just-missed interceptions.
Sometimes, Williams couldn’t even get passes off as the secondary used its space advantage in the red zone to shut down receivers. We saw a lot of screen passes, many of which turned into scores. Occasionally, the offense struggled to line up or get a play off.
Struggling to line up and being unable to get a play off means the Bears offense, Williams included, have more to memorize from offensive coordinator Shane Waldron’s playbook.
One more point, those types of issues have less to do with a defense that is coming off of a “hot streak” to end the season and has more to do with an offense that is bad right now.
Bad days are expected, and so is progress before the regular season
Williams was never going to be perfect on Day 3. The Bears’ offense will not have their scheme perfected by next Friday, when the media will be back to watch practice. However, Williams might not be where he thought he was before the rookie minicamp, and a little dose of humility from Thursday’s outing could motivate him to prepare better this offseason.
Wide receiver DJ Moore said the new offensive scheme is complex. With that in mind, it is worrying that Darnell Wright, Nate Davis, Velus Jones Jr., and Keenan Allen weren’t there on Thursday to gain reps. The Bears don’t need to have the same issues lining up during mandatory OTAs next month.
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