Albert Breer Empties His Bears Notebook From Training Camp

LAKE FOREST, Ill.—We’re now at my 14th camp here in the north suburbs of Chicago. And here are five things I’m leaving Bears camp thinking …

• Caleb Williams, by all accounts, has been a different guy this offseason—more grown up, and taking full ownership of the offense. Last summer, Ben Johnson had him drinking from a firehose and it didn’t necessarily look pretty in camp. A year later, Williams has real proof of concept, plus command over what the Bears are trying to do. There’s joy and focus to the way he’s approaching how Johnson and the staff keep challenging him, which is a good sign that he’s really figured out how to meld his personality into the program the staff was able to establish last year.

Now, a lot of his progress will ride on his ability to do the routine stuff well, and balance when it’s time to be Superman with that, then work toward becoming a 70% passer. That’s the natural progression of a lot of young quarterbacks in this era—and also an indication of the fact that there’s a lot of meat left on the bone developmentally with Williams. Which is a pretty exciting thing to think about.

• If there’s a breakthrough coming from an offensive player here, I’d circle tight end Colston Loveland’s name. His work ethic, toughness and intelligence have shone through this offseason, and he has flashed some Travis Kelce-type traits—Kelce is probably bigger, broader and stronger, while Loveland is smoother and faster—that have everyone excited about his second year.

Along those lines, I’d expect the Bears to dabble a little more in 13 personnel (putting three tight ends on the field), given that they also have Cole Kmet and drafted Sam Roush in the third round.

Scary: Bears star QB Caleb Williams shares extremely high praise for sophomore TE Colston Loveland.

"He can become the best tight end in the league."

Chicago's future is extremely bright 😈 pic.twitter.com/3GlRz5ZFOO
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) July 30, 2026

That is not, just so I’m clear, an indictment on the Bears’ receivers, where Rome Odunze looks healthier and faster, Luther Burden III is ascending, Kalif Raymond has been really good on and off the field and Zavion Thomas is developing quickly.

• Newly extended right tackle Darnell Wright has had a killer offseason, and he gained the respect of a lot of folks with his work during the negotiation. While it was going on, in the early days of camp, he kept elevating his play and wound up having a couple of the best practice days he has ever had. Then, the day he signed, he took it up yet another notch, which illustrates the growth he has gone through as a person this offseason. He also has worked a bunch with Terron Armstead—O-line coach Dan Roushar was with Armstead in New Orleans and connected the two—and that has shown up as well.

There’s a lot less certainty opposite Wright, where Braxton Jones, Jedrick Wills and Kiran Amegadjie are duking it out to start at left tackle. Both Jones and Wills have been healthy, which is a plus. But with Jones out Sunday, Amegadjie took the reps with the starters. And it looks like Ozzy Trapilo, who started six regular-season games at left tackle, then tore his patellar tendon in the wild-card round, might be back sooner than expected.

• If there’s a spot that’s a little better than some might expect, it’s defensive tackle. Veterans Gervon Dexter Sr. and Grady Jarrett are still there, and Dayo Odeyingbo can go inside on passing downs (which was the plan before he got hurt last year). But what has stood out to the staff here is the newfound depth at the position, and part of that is the emergence of sixth-round pick Jordan van den Berg, who grew up as a rugby player in South Africa before moving to the U.S and picking up football. He , and seems to have already earned himself a role on the defensive front.

Meanwhile, on the edge, the search for reliability and playmaking opposite Montez Sweat continues, but Austin Booker has had a nice offseason to build off a strong finish to 2025, giving the coaches hope that he has another step coming. Ideally, Booker would be in a rotation, primarily deployed as a pass rusher. That could happen if Odeyingbo eats up snaps opposite Sweat on run downs.

• Defensively, safety is one position that has been in flux, with Seattle import Coby Bryant now likely out until October. Bryant had already emerged as a leader, and his loss will be felt. The hope was that Bryant would be able to help bring along rookie Dillon Thieneman, who just turned 22 on Saturday. And just as that idea went on the shelf, Bryant’s replacement, veteran Cam Lewis, who’d been playing at nickel a bunch, got hurt.

Bears safety Coby Bryant is expected to be sidelined 8-10 weeks due to a hyperextended knee, bone bruise and small fracture that he suffered at today’s practice, per sources. No surgery is expected to be needed. pic.twitter.com/LxaZFt4hPP
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 3, 2026

So it’s fair to say the Bears are going to have to patch things together there for a bit. Depth at outside corner, beyond Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson is another question. On the flip side, another question area—linebacker—seems to have an answer, with former first-round pick Devin Bush looking good playing alongside T.J. Edwards.

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