After having some players miss the voluntary OTA sessions the last two weeks, the Chicago Bears had 100 percent attendance on the first day of minicamp.
The Chicago Bears started their mandatory minicamp. The camp lasts three days, and while drills are still done in shorts and t-shirts, they are inching closer to training camp. At training camp, the players get to use pads and hit for real (well, except for the quarterback). It’s just a short time from there that the real games begin.
As mentioned, this minicamp is mandatory. In the past two weeks, the team had their Offseason Training Activities (OTAs). Those are not mandatory, however. All eyes were set on the team to see who showed up and who did not.
Fortunately for the Chicago Bears team, they had 100 percent attendance. There were a few players who did not play in OTAs. That did not happen on Day 1 of minicamp. Every player attended. Not every player performed, but they were all there.
That is what happens when there is excitement to get the season going. General
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Manager Ryan Poles overhauled the offense and turned it into a high-octane machine, at least on paper. Yes, it is up to the coaches to put the players in a winning situation. Also, it is up to the players to step up when it is time to do so.
All the players want to make sure they get the new offensive system down. The Chicago Bears brought in Shane Waldron to be the new offensive coordinator. The players want to get a handle on the system so they can make an impression on the new coaching staff.
Poles said recently that it will now be difficult to make this team. That is how much talent is on it now.
I feel really good about our process and where we are and where we’re headed…It’s gonna be hard to make this team now. It’s gonna be really hard to make this team.
With all the talent on the Chicago Bears now the players want to make sure they either make the team and offer great depth or they make the team and become starters. There is now a lot of pressure on the players to produce. Wins and losses did not matter in the first two years of Poles’ rebuild. They do now in Year 3.
Not every player practiced
While every player attended minicamp on Day 1, not every player practiced. Defensive end Montez Sweat and offensive lineman Nate Davis did not practice. Sweat is expected to practice starting on Day 2, however. He did not attend OTAs so the Chicago Bears are easing him in.
Sweat is ready to get going. He expects the defense to pick up where it left off last season. As the 2023 season progressed, the defense played well. It got even better when Sweat arrived after a trade deadline deal Poles made with the Washington Commanders.
It’s great. We’re trying to pick up where we left off from last year. We lost two guys, two great guys up front, Justin [Jones] and Yannick Ngakoue, but we got some young guys that are really stepping up and an experienced guy like Jake Martin that’s really making some noise out there. So, I am pretty excited on what I’m seeing.
In addition to being a leader on this Chicago Bears defense, Sweat will play a mentor to rookie defensive end Austin Booker. The Bears picked him up in the fifth round of the draft and have high hopes for him. Sweat will be a big part of helping him develop.
The situation with Davis is a bit murkier. Davis did not attend OTAs and did not participate on Day 1 of minicamp. It is still unclear when he will start practicing. Now
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having him available has to be frustrating. Davis missed some time last year due to the death of his mother. During the season, he suffered an injury that kept him out.
Having Davis is important for the Chicago Bears. He signed last year as a free agent. With a new offense and a lot of talent on the offense, Davis must help protect rookie quarterback Caleb Williams. Coming to Chicago last year he had to learn a new system. Now he has to learn another one. He needs to be in there, pads or not, to know what he needs to do with every play.
One veteran who missed OTAs participated in minicamp
There was another player who missed OTAs but was a participant on Day 1 of minicamp. That was wide receiver Keenan Allen. The Chicago Bears acquired Allen this offseason in a trade. Poles gave up one of his few draft picks, a fourth-round pick, to bring Allen to Chicago.
Allen is a six-time Pro Bowl receiver, one of the elites in the NFL. With him, D.J.
Moore, and Rome Odunze the Chicago Bears hope to have one of the top trio of wide receivers in the league. Allen needs to get in there and work on his chemistry with Williams.
Allen says he does not see a problem with helping Williams with his development. The offense has a lot of good veterans who can talk to him and help him. As long as that is happening he has no worries.
I think the offense as a whole, everybody’s experienced pretty much at every position except the quarterback position, so as long as we’re all talking to him, we’re all on the same page, we’re all communicating at the same level, it shouldn’t be a problem.
Allen already spent some time working out with Williams. He, Moore, and Odunze worked out together before the draft so they got some work together already. Now things get ramped up ahead of training camp.
It appears that the Chicago Bears players are just as excited about the 2024 season as the fans are. They are anxious to show that this season is the start of a new era of winning football in the city of Chicago.
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