Former NFL players roll their eyes at fans who keep track of player stats in practice. They feel it is pointless because people have zero context for the situations being run. A good example came from Lake Forest when Caleb Williams threw two interceptions in red zone drills. It turns out head coach Ben Johnson simulated pressure coming unblocked on those plays. He wanted to see how Williams handled unexpected situations. It was an important teaching moment that would help the young quarterback evolve.

However, dismissing the idea of training camp stats might not be wise. After all, the Bears coaches keep track of them. Offensive coordinator Declan Doyle delivered that revelation at his latest press conference. One of the goals Johnson set for Williams this year is a 70% completion percentage. He believes that level is often customary with winning football. To instill this into Williams’ head, they’ve been tracking his completion rates in practice, letting him know when he isn’t at the necessary threshold.

“The biggest thing is, you track it and you give it to him. ‘Hey, we’re below our standard right now.’ That information is really helpful, because obviously it’s one thing to say that, it’s another thing to walk into the quarterback meeting and hand them a sheet that says, ‘Hey, you’re above or below championship standards.’ It’s something we’ll track throughout camp. Obviously that’s our benchmark, our goal. But that’s the biggest thing — we have to track all of it and make sure our players are aware of what we’re going to ask them to do.”

Caleb Williams is learning what real coaching is like.

Johnson brought a well-earned reputation from Detroit for his detailed and demanding approach. No little thing goes unnoticed by him. He has a mathematical approach to this. While not as important as games, tracking stats in practice will press upon Caleb Williams that this must become second nature to him. Seeking big plays is important, but not as important as stacking completions, moving the chains, and keeping the offense on schedule. The Bears never did that last year, and it was often their doom in all those close games. Williams must learn to take the easy throws when available, something he didn’t have to do in college because of the weaker defenses. That won’t fly in the NFL. It is about finding the small windows and wearing the defenses down with sustained drives.

Beef rarely exists between players on the same team. It happens. Sometimes it’s how each of them approaches the game. Other times, it is starkly different personalities. On a few occasions, it could be the two have a complicated history with each other. One would think Rome Odunze has no reason to dislike Colston Loveland. The two didn’t grow up in the same circles. They didn’t even play in the same conference in college. Yet the wide receiver admitted he doesn’t care for the Chicago Bears‘ newest addition.

Why?

It all boils down to last year’s national championship game, in which Loveland’s Michigan Wolverines defeated Oduze’s Washington Huskies. The receiver admitted that the loss still stings and probably always will. While he doesn’t truly hate Loveland as a person or player, there is a sour taste in his mouth that the tight end was instrumental in costing him a ring.

“He’s a baller, man. I hate him, though. Michigan guy — I can’t stand him, man. Naw, I’m just playing. He’s got the ring on me. He got his signing bonus the other day. That guy’s got everything, I’m telling you. It’s ridiculous.”

Loveland had 63 yards on three catches in that game. His 41-yard catch and run in the 4th quarter set up a Michigan touchdown that took a 20-13 score to 27-13. It was backbreaking for Washington, and Odunze likely knew it.

Rome Odunze is likely relieved to have him as a teammate this time.

It is important to note that he could not argue with the Bears’ decision to draft Loveland. He admitted the tight end has every tool you can imagine. Undoubtedly, he will be lethal in Ben Johnson’s new offense. However, it will come with a slight cost. This means that Rome Odunze must compete with him to get targets. That and their history from that national title game might create just enough competitive juice to make each of them better. One thing is certain. If they both live up to their massive potential, this offense will be the bane of the entire NFL within the next two or three years. It is easily the most talented the organization has pieced together in a decade. Maybe Loveland can pay him back by helping win a Super Bowl.

The Chicago Bears really liked Roschon Johnson coming out of Texas. While he was never the primary running back for Texas in college, most felt that was due to sharing the backfield with eventual top-five pick Bijan Robinson. Johnson had the size, toughness, and strength of somebody who could carve out a solid career in the NFL. Yet the Bears haven’t been willing to give him real opportunities for the past two years. First, it was sharing the backfield with Khalil Herbert and D’Onta Foreman as a rookie. Then last year, he was relegated to short-yardage back with D'Andre Swift getting most of the carries.

This offseason, most of the attention has been on rookie 7th round pick Kyle Monangai and whether he and Swift can form a quality duo. Johnson has been all but forgotten in the shuffle. That may have been a miscalculation. According to Albert Breer of the MMQB, there is a legitimate buzz through the first few training camp practices. While Monangai continues to show flashes, it has been Johnson who continues to stand out. He looks like a completely different player from what he was last year.

Meanwhile, at running back, D’Andre Swift returns with experience in Johnson’s offense from Detroit. But Roschon Johnson, a 2023 fourth-round pick, has started to look more like the player the Bears evaluated coming out of Texas. And rookie seventh-rounder Kyle Monangai has been a revelation, already showing vision, feel and strength better than expected, to pair with the contact balance that was there on the college tape.

Roschon Johnson has only ever asked for an opportunity.

The guy does everything asked of him without complaint. His blocking was a reason the protection last year wasn’t even worse than it was. He scored eight touchdowns as a short-yardage back, giving the Bears some actual reliability on an offense that had none. Head coach Ben Johnson, arriving with his proven running scheme, figured to unlock things he’s never enjoyed since joining the Bears. By all accounts, it has unfolded exactly as hoped. Roschon Johnson is finally starting to resemble the player many envisioned him to be when Chicago drafted him. It is becoming easier to understand why the Bears don’t seem overly interested in adding to the running back position.

People are acting shocked that Caleb Williams is struggling to start Chicago Bears training camp. They shouldn’t be. This is essentially another rookie season for him. Last year was a complete wash because Matt Eberflus and his former coaching staff did their jobs so poorly that they got fired. Now Williams has to start over in a brand new system under head coach Ben Johnson. Expecting consistently positive results from that was naive. This was always going to be a process filled with bumps.

It appears even Williams understands that. Make no mistake. He’s as impatient as anybody to get this thing kicking on all cylinders. GM Ryan Poles even admitted this offseason that the quarterback tried skipping steps in the process last year, leading to his frequent struggles. It appears things have changed. Williams has come to an uncomfortable realization: this might take a while. If you don’t believe it, listen to his comments from an interview with Jeff Joniak on SiriusXM Radio.

He openly admits real results might not arrive until next year.

Caleb Williams is starting to sound like Jay Cutler.

For those not old enough to remember, the former Bears quarterback had a somewhat complicated legacy. He could be surly with the media and was never the most efficient player. Still, he’s the best quarterback Chicago has seen in 40 years. One thing that people didn’t appreciate enough about him was his frankness. He was asked about how quickly the team could put together a highly productive offense in 2013. Cutler didn’t mince words.

“Really, whenever you want to get into it, it’s a three-year process to learn an offense.”

He spoke from experience. After being drafted by Denver in 2006, he steadily developed until making the Pro Bowl in 2008. In that span, the Broncos went from 21st to 11th to 2nd in total offense. The bittersweet irony is that Cutler never stayed in the same system with the Bears for more than two years.

Caleb Williams seems to have reached this same conclusion after what happened last year. This is not something he can fast-track. He must let the process play out naturally if he wants to be great. Trust Johnson and the coaching staff to prepare him the right way. The one thing he needs is patience.

One thing often overlooked about coaching changes is how they may alter players’ fortunes on a current roster. Some who were considered lost causes with previous staff may suddenly find new life under another. The Chicago Bears have seen this happen in years past. People were ready to wave the white flag on wide receiver Marcus Robinson after two quiet seasons to start his career. Then, a new coaching staff under Dick Jauron arrived in 1999. Robinson exploded for 1400 yards, blossoming into a potential star.

Maybe the same can happen again with the arrival of Ben Johnson and his staff. Nobody can argue that the new head coach has put together a group of highly accomplished assistants on both sides of the ball. Their expertise and schematic changes may have some unexpected benefits for unlikely names. Albert Breer of the MMQB is hearing there is one that Bears fans won’t believe.

“The question lingering on defense is who will play the edge opposite Montez Sweat when Dayo Odeyingbo goes inside on passing downs. Austin Booker is one player, but a guy who’s quietly become one to watch is four-year man Dominique Robinson, who’s big and athletic, and looks natural in new coordinator Dennis Allen’s defense.”

Dominique Robinson was a fifth-round pick in 2022. After a great start to his career with 1.5 sacks in his debut, he has had 0.5 since. Fans wrote him off, understandably so. However, it appears the arrival of new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen has changed things.

The Chicago Bears wouldn’t be the first team for whom Allen did this.

He had a few revival projects bear fruit during his time in the league. Ryan McBean was a nobody for four years in the NFL, producing no sacks. Allen squeezed four out of him in 2011. This is not to say Robinson will magically transform into a star. However, it would be a major victory if the Chicago Bears could get four or five sacks out of him after what little he contributed. Nobody ever questioned the young man’s athletic ability. Many saw him as a multi-year project with significant upside. He has size, length, power, and quickness. It was always a matter of whether he could master the intricate art of rushing the passer. That hasn’t happened. Perhaps moving away from Matt Eberflus’ outdated system was what he needed.