8 things we learned from the Chicago Bears ahead of the season opener, including all eyes on Caleb Williams
The Chicago Bears are in the final stages of preparation for the season opener Monday at Soldier Field, when Caleb Williams and company square off against Chicago-area native J.J. McCarthy and the Minnesota Vikings.
Bears coordinators and offensive assistant coaches spoke with members of the media Friday at Halas Hall, covering topics far and wide. Here are the big takeaways from Ben Johnson’s coaching staff.
1. Caleb Williams’ processing speed is all about the eyes.
Williams has had a lot on his plate all offseason. A quarterback has multiple responsibilities before the ball is snapped — barking out the play call, lining up properly, assessing the defensive formation, sending players in motion, using his verbal cadence to throw off the defense.
The Bears are hoping the work they’ve done on the nuts and bolts of Johnson’s offense leads to a faster processing speed for the quarterback. Offensive coordinator Declan Doyle called Williams’ processing speed the No. 1 offseason priority.
“He’s gotten better since we got here in February,” Doyle said. “The progress he’s made until now, and he’s still continuing to get better every day. I think that as we get into these game plans, you’re just going to continue to see a guy who is working really hard at it continue to progress.”
Players talk all the time about how the biggest difference going from college to the NFL is the speed of the game. According to Doyle, a big part of playing the game fast is knowing where your eyes should be.
“The game slows down when your eyes go to the right place,” Doyle said.
With 22 players in motion, a lot happens on the field at any given time. Defenses intentionally try to misdirect the quarterback’s attention. When a player says the game slowed down, it’s about his eyes and processing speed.
“They’re saying I know where to look, where my eyes need to go,” Doyle said. “And then I know, really it’s the implied information. So this piece moves and I understand what that means relative to the rest of the scheme.”
Monday should be a first indication of just how far Williams has come in that area.
2. Williams wants to ‘get the ball out of my hands’
Early in the process, Johnson set the lofty goal of 70% completions for Williams. Processing speed and completion percentage are intertwined in Doyle’s eyes.
“The biggest thing on every given play, he’s got a place to start and he’s going to have outlets and answers that he needs to find later in the play,” Doyle said. “And that’s really how that (completion percentage) goes up is when guys are playing through (option) one and two and they’re able to find three and four, find the (running) back, whatever that may be.”
The Bears believe they have surrounded Williams with weapons. They added second-round pick Luther Burden III and veteran Olamide Zaccheaus to a receiver group that already included top target DJ Moore and 2024 first-round pick Rome Odunze. They added Colston Loveland with the 10th pick to a tight end unit that already had Cole Kmet. D’Andre Swift has proved to be a reliable pass-catching running back.
For the quarterback, in theory, it should be about playing point guard.
“There are no big plays that need to be necessarily made,” Williams said. “We need to go out there and do our jobs.”
Translation: Go through the reads and take what the defense gives you. Williams doesn’t want to take 68 sacks again, as he did last season when he led the league. Those sacks weren’t all on the quarterback, but he took responsibility for his fair share.
When things went well in the preseason — such as against the Buffalo Bills — he was moving through his reads quickly.
“It’s (about) getting the ball of out of my hands,” Williams said.
3. Left tackle Braxton Jones’ confidence ‘has really grown.’
Johnson made it clear there’s ongoing competition for every job, especially at left tackle, but offensive line coach Dan Roushar believes Braxton Jones is in a good spot days before the opener.
Jones had a long path back from a fractured ankle suffered in December, and what started as a three-man competition including second-round rookie Ozzy Trapilo and Kiran Amegadjie added a fourth option — Theo Benedet — halfway through camp.
It’s natural to wonder how much leeway Jones, who is entering a contract year, will have.
“His confidence has really grown here of late,” Roushar said. “I’ve watched him the last several practices and there are things you are really encouraged by. He understands the competition is still there, but you have a veteran player that has played a lot of football at this level. He appears to be more healthy than he’s been. So you are seeing more of those traits.
“It will be interesting to continue to watch that position. We’ve got guys that are battling right behind him that are just as hungry as he is, and our expectations for him are very high. We expect him to play at a standard, and if he’s not able to, then we’re going to have to think about the next person that gets an opportunity.”
4. Running the ball against the Vikings could be a challenge.
The Bears running game will have its work cut out for them against the Vikings, who last season ranked second in rushing yards allowed per game (93.4) and the fourth-fewest rushing yards per play (4.05).
And they’ve added former Pro Bowl defensive tackle Javon Hargrave and former Commanders defensive end Jonathan Allen on the interior.
“They brought in some newer guys too that are very talented and have some stain in this league,” Bears guard Jonah Jackson said.
When Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores is dialing up run fits and blitzes, Jackson said the Bears must be ready for anything.
“It’s the kitchen sink, so it’s a good challenge,” Jackson said.
The quarterback’s cadence plays a role in throwing off the defense. The first step is so important, whether it’s a run or a pass, but especially if the Bears are going to establish the run Monday night.
“It starts with our get-off and our cadence,” Doyle said. “That’s the No. 1 thing, being able to come off the ball with low pads and get after it.”
Running backs coach Eric Bieniemy said the ball carriers can’t worry about Flores might throw at them and should focus on the details.
“Yes, they do have an outstanding defense,” Bieniemy said. “Yes, they do play hard. OK? But it’s time for us to go out there and show who we are. And it doesn’t necessarily have to be perfect.”
5. Can Devin Duvernay be the Bears’ next Pro Bowl return man?
The Bears made more high-profile additions to the wide receiver room during the offseason, but Duvernay is expected to make a significant impact.
The team enjoyed a four-year run of supplying the NFC Pro Bowl returner from 2018-21 with Tarik Cohen, Cordarrelle Patterson and Jakeem Grant. After the failed adventure with former third-round pick Velus Jones Jr., the team made signing Duvernay a priority in free agency.
A two-time Pro Bowl selection, Duvernay missed the second half of training camp and final two preseason games with a hamstring injury, but he appears healthy in time to play Monday. A hamstring injury cost him time last year for the Jacksonville Jaguars, including the London game against the Bears.
“Duv has, obviously, a storied past,” special teams coordinator Richard Hightower said. “Really good player. He is fast. He’s electric. But so is Luther Burden. We have really good options there. (We’re) still going through it all. Guys (are) still working. We’re actually doing returns (Friday), so guys are still competing back there to see who goes on Monday, but he’s a really good player.”
Duvernay averaged only 8.8 yards per punt return last season with the Jaguars. But he was at 12.6 yards in 2023 for the Baltimore Ravens, and the Bears surely are aiming for an average above 10 yards. That’s the benchmark — a full first down — coaches use to measure success.
“Me and (Hightower) had conversations during free agency about me coming in and getting back to being a Pro Bowl-level player,” Duvernay said. “That’s on his mind.”
6. Will Burden contribute in the return game?
As much as special teams coaches are concerned about ball security, it takes a leap of faith to put a rookie in as a returner.
Hightower seems confident Burden, the second-round pick from Missouri, can handle the role.
“Some rookies, they get in there and get nervous,” Hightower said. “But the one thing about Luther is he is as smooth as they come, man. He is confident. Nothing’s too big for him. The game looks like it slows down to him all the time. He’s going to be a really good one. I don’t know how long we’ll have him (as an option on special teams) because I think he’s going to be a really good wideout.”
Burden didn’t see a ton of action in the return game at Missouri for the same reason Hightower cited — he was too valuable on offense. Burden had 24 punt returns in three seasons for the Tigers, but half of those came as a freshman. He returned only four punts last season.
7. Mission critical for Bears defense: Stop Aaron Jones.
In 15 games against the Bears, between his stints in Green Bay and Minnesota, the Vikings running back has lost only once. His nine rushing touchdowns against the Bears are more than he has produced against any other team.
Even at 30 years old, he’s still a problem that Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen has to solve.
“He’s a big part of their offense,” Allen said. “He’s a really explosive player, and so obviously we’ve got to do a good job of protecting the edges on the defense, and we’ve got to be able to do a good job of being able to get off blocks inside and we need 11 hats to the ball.”
The Vikings also added former San Francisco 49er Jordan Mason to the backfield. Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell comes from the Sean McVay tree and will find creative ways to open holes for his backs.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for Kevin O’Connell and their offensive staff and how they call a game and the schemes that they run,” Allen said. “They did some things in the offseason to try to help improve their team. … They’ve got kind of a two-headed monster at the running back position with Jones and Mason.”
8. T.J. Edwards remained sidelined at practice.
The Bears linebacker sat out practice Friday because of a hamstring injury. The team has one more practice Saturday before the opener. Edwards appeared to suffer the injury during a practice last week.
Edwards is a key part of Allen’s defensive plan. If he is unavailable Monday, it could be a chance for rookie linebacker Ruben Hyppolite II or third-year linebacker Noah Sewell to see more action.
Additionally, running back Roschon Johnson (foot) also did not practice Friday. He has been sidelined for several weeks. Swift and Kyle Monangai are the other backs on the active roster. Brittain Brown could be available off the practice squad.
Cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson (calf/groin) and Josh Blackwell (groin) and Monangai (hamstring) were limited participants Friday. Duvernay (hamstring) and defensive end Dominique Robinson (oblique) were listed as full participants.
