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Hopes are high right now for Chicago Bears fans. After seemingly decades with limited offensive upside, the unit, led by first-overall pick Caleb Williams, is loaded on paper.
But, early returns from minicamp for the unit are not good, with the offense getting dominated by the defense early on in the install process before the 2024 NFL Season.
Here’s what Bears beat writer Nicholas Moreano had to say about the unit at the first full-squad OTA’s of the offseason.
Really rough day for Caleb Williams and the starting offense. A lot of incomplete passes and near interceptions. In the 7-on-7 period, Williams completed just three passes. Jaylon Johnson nearly had an interception over the middle of the field. In the team period, most of the passes were completed to the flat, and Williams held onto the ball for a long time. It’s worth nothing that Rome Odunze and Keenan Allen did not participate in 7-on-7s and team. Also, Nate Davis and Darnell Wright were not practicing today.
It is crucial to not that star receivers in rookie Rome Odunze and veteran Keenan Allen didn’t practice. Plus, two starting linemen in Nate Davis and Darnell Wright also sat out.
But, the most concerning thing is that the biggest issue for Caleb Williams in college at USC seemed to show up again. That would be holding on to the ball too long, which became an epidemic when watching his film from his junior season in 2023. Early in his college career at Oklahoma and then at USC, Williams got the ball out on time and accurately in Lincoln Riley’s system. Sadly, he regressed in that area last season, and the Bears are going to want to fix that.
Don’t get too down on yourself, Bears fans. This offense is almost certainly going to be the best one in Chicago in a long time. Granted, the bar is low, as the team has never had a 4,000-yard passer.