Some OTA Positives Are Even Letdowns
The best thing about OTAs and minicamp every year is when they end.
The only way it gets even better is if no one has suffered a major injury when they end.
The non-contact work is essential to team building and both risky and mundane.
The Bears failed to escape offseason practices last year with a victory. They had signed Dakota Dozier to compete at right guard with Sam Mustipher, which wasn't exactly a formula for success. Mustipher was a center who hadn't played guard, Dozier a tackle and guard, and then the victim of a season-ending knee injury in OTAs.
So they were scrambling and had to sign more free agent linemen as camp was opening.
This year there were negatives about the start of this entire offseason process as always.
Here are the biggest negatives from the start of the Bears offseason work.
5. Padless Pantomime
Of course this is what football in May and June are all about. No one hits and it's padless. It's no surprise. It's still disappointing to see them out on the field, all hyped up and ready to level someone but they can't do it.
A few get a little overly aggressive at times but that's quickly addressed.
The drawback to this type of work is the offense can't effective work on who to block and the defense can't fit up their gaps as easily then hit and take players down.
However, they have changed something up in practices to try to help both their ability to defend the run and block the run.
They conduct some plays at what can be described as semi-speed, a fast walk.
"It's more of a quick walk-through pace type of jog-through run period to get our run-fits and all that, and do that," Eberflus said. "So that was really good for us on defense and on offense."
This is something Eberflus said they learned from last year's failures.
Fitting defensive players to the right gaps on running plays is critical to this scheme. They were next-to-last stopping the run last year so something needed to change.
It helps run blockers to know their assignments, as well.
"And then we'll get those plays, we'll rack those plays when we get into pads in training camp and all those things," Eberflus said. "But it's been invaluable for the young guys.
"Darnell (Wright) is really picking it up a lot faster because of the pace of it and he can learn it this way. Then when we get to training camp it'll be more full speed."
4. Doubling Up Plays
This is actually a benefit for the Bears, just a drawback to the media trying to keep track of players and the plays.
The Bears are running plays during portions of OTA practices on adjacent fields simultaneously. The starters are on one field, or at least starters and key backups. The players fighting for roster spots are on the other field. They did this type of thing in training camp in the past with Matt Nagy as coach but not necessarily ever at OTAs.
Eberflus says they can get 28 plays run in 20 minutes. So figure that times two with plays going on over two fields. There's no reason to doubt him and no one can prove otherwise because it's impossible to watch both sides at once.
With more plays run they should be able to more quickly assess if some players on the roster don't belong and make roster changes.
It's still tough to watch, though.
3. Injuries
The number of players who are missing the start of this work because of injuries is surprising considering only Darnell Mooney was thought to have needed long-term rehab.
When Jack Sanborn suffered an ankle injury and three games remained, Eberflus announced they were putting him on season-ending injured reserve. At the time he was asked if Sanborn would have been able to return and play if there had just been more games remaining.
"I think so. Yeah, I think so," he said at the time.
And now, more than six months later, Sanborn is still watching practice.
Eddie Jackson's foot injury was said to not be serious enough for surgery when he hurt it Nov. 27. It's six months later and he's still away. At least in his situation, he had been interviewed in March about it and it was apparent he might need a little more time to be back.
At least the injuries to Teven Jenkins (neck) and Justin Fields (hip, shoulder) didn't linger into this offseason work.
2. Jaylon Johnson's Absence
There's a good reason it's not No. 1. It's because this affects only Johnson.
With him away, presumably because he wants a contract and doesn't want to risk injury until he gets one, it does set an example for other players in the future to stay away.
The real issue is they haven't given him a new contract yet. Considering how they said they wanted to keep David Montgomery around and how they liked Roquan Smith initially, you'd think this extension was either the first or one of the first they accomplished and would have done it by now. After all, they have the most money available under the cap.
Johnson is easily their best cornerback, and even with both Tyrique Stevenson and Terell Smith available as depth there would be no way to replace him at such a late date if he decided to hold out of training camp.
1. No Nate Davis
There are other players to fill in and Davis hasn't played a down yet for the Bears. However, the reason his absence is the most important and even moreso than Johnson's or others goes all the way back to last year.
The Bears had to change starting lineups on the offensive line nine times in the regular season. The changes and instability occurred at a position where keeping the same group together for one rep after another means a great deal.
So they wanted to be able to put the same group out on the field from Day 1 this year and keep them there as long as they could.
Whoops. So much for that.
It's only a few days so far, but coach Matt Eberflus isn't saying how much of offseason practices Davis will miss and why it's occurring.
Signing Davis as a free agent for $30 million only to see him not on the practice field brings back memories of Al-Quadin Muhammad signing last year but then missing then missing practices. That one didn't turn out so well because it came at a position where the Bears lacked both talent and depth.
Muhammad eventually showed up. At least the game day stats all say he was there. Not much else indicated this.
The Bears quickly set about using both Ja'Tyre Carter and Lucas Patrick at right guard without Davis rather than move Jenkins back to his old position. If Jenkins is going to play left guard this year, it's better to let him stay at left guard for now.
Patrick isn't ideal at guard, although he can and has at least played both positions in games besides being a center.
Carter got on the field for only 31 offensive plays as a rookie, so he would be a long shot to even be a first guy off the bench. In fact, last year they went to backup guard/center Dieter Eiselen before Carter.
Especially considering Patrick provides depth at three positions, you'd assume he would be their choice when it matters if Davis isn't available.
"Well the experience, that you have somebody inside that can move from guard to center, center to guard on both sides, you know, to have a guy like that that has, that it's easy for him to do that," Eberflus said in response to queries about Patrick. "As we know during the course of the season there's going to be guys in different combinations cause there is going to be injury and we have to deal with that.
"To have a guy that has that experience it's certainly valuable."
Eberflus doesn't consider Patrick any better a fit as a starter at guard than center.
"I think he is a good fit either way. I really do," he said.
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