Chicago Bears training camp report: Players hit practice field for first time Saturday

LAKE FOREST – When receiver Keenan Allen was in town for veteran minicamp in the spring, he posted up at a hotel near Halas Hall in Lake Forest. The Chicago Bears’ veteran addition didn’t yet have a permanent place to stay in the Chicago area after spending the previous 11 seasons with the Chargers.

He quickly found himself spending a lot of time with rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, who also was living in the hotel during the spring.

They spent their evenings together watching the NBA playoffs. They would play cards – Monopoly Deal being the game of choice – with basketball on in the background. Then they’d take a break from the card games and rattle off a few play calls from the Bears’ playbook. Williams would read the play aloud and Allen would draw it up.

“I’m not a guy who masters the playbook, by any means, sitting at home just looking at the playbook,” Allen said Saturday at Halas Hall. “That’s not how I learn it. I’m a trial and error guy. I learn through mistakes.”

They made the most of their down time at the hotel and are hoping those little tests help propel them to a quick start during training camp.

The Bears held their first practice Saturday at Halas Hall. Head coach Matt Eberflus said it was apparent that his players had been studying the playbook while they were away from the team facility for the last month.

“Really, the execution was good for the first day, for sure,” Eberflus said. “You could see the preparation really paid off.”

Really, the execution was good for the first day, for sure. You could see the preparation really paid off.”

—  Matt Eberflus, Bears head coach

Saturday’s practice was just the beginning of the journey that is the 2024 season. Williams and his receivers are going to need time to grow comfortable with one another. Like Allen said, he learns from doing. Drawing up plays on paper is one thing. Performing them out on the field is a different animal.

Allen has seen growth already in Williams’ ability to command the huddle.

“Today was real solid,” Allen said. “He 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.”

Practice notes

The first practice of training camp went only about an hour long. The players are not allowed to wear full pads yet, so it was not physical. The highlight play might have come in a two-minute drill with the first-team offense going up against the first-team defense.

Second-year defensive tackle Gervon Dexter timed his jump perfectly and deflected a Williams pass back into Williams’ waiting arms. The rookie quarterback ran out of bounds to his right for a short gain. On the following play, a third-down attempt, Williams threw incomplete for tight end Stephen Carlson and the drive stalled out just over midfield.

Lineman Ryan Bates opened camp as the center. Coleman Shelton also is expected to compete for the starting job at center. That might be the only starting position that is truly up for grabs on this roster.

“We ask our centers to have really good movement skills and be very intelligent,” Eberflus said. “We run a lot of inside, outside zone. We’re jumping to the second level, to the linebackers, so they’ve got to be able to get on them, to stick on them and stay. [Bates] has that.”

Shelton certainly will get his reps with the first-team offense, too.

Taking attendance

Offensive tackle Kiran Amegadjie (quad) and tight end Gerald Everett (undisclosed) sat out practice with injuries. They are on the non-football injury list. Everett suffered an injury sometime while he was training, Eberflus said.

“It’s day to day, and we’ll see where it goes,” Eberflus said. “It was nothing major.”

Additionally, wide receiver Rome Odunze missed practice Saturday because of a personal reason. The Bears expect Odunze to return for practice Sunday.

Left tackle Braxton Jones and linebacker TJ Edwards are currently limited by undisclosed injuries suffered during minicamp, but they both participated in some fashion during practice Saturday. Backup Larry Borom took some reps at left tackle when Jones was out.