What We Learned From Day One of Chicago Bears Training Camp

Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson addressed the media after veterans reported on Tuesday. Here's the most interesting nuggets.

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles. | USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Bears' veterans reported to training camp on Tuesday and before the team takes the practice field for what will be the first session of camp on Wednesday, both head coach Ben Johnson and general manager Ryan Poles addressed the media.

The most interesting nuggets came from Poles' availability, when he touched on Kyler Gordon's injury, the injuries at linebacker, extension talks with Darnell Wright, and much more.

As for Johnson, he's just ready to get going.

"This is where it gets fun,"Johnson said. "There will be some trials and tribulations."

"You talk about sustaining success — well shoot, we are starting all over again," he added. "That's been the consistent message."

Now, a look at what we learned from the Bears' training camp report day on Tuesday.

Frustration over Kyler Gordon's injury

Chicago Bears cornerback Kyler Gordon (6) takes the field prior to an NFC Wild Card Round game against the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

We now know Kyler Gordon is dealing with a calf injury, which kept him sidelined throughout OTAs and minicamp. And, in what is troubling news, there is no timeline for his return.

Head coach Ben Johnson expressed frustration with the veteran's lack of availability at OTAs, and general manager Poles wasn't shy about venting his frustration on Tuesday.

"Obviously, he's frustrated. We're frustrated," he said. "Everybody here is putting time and effort to getting (Gordon) back. All hands on deck."

"A little bit of a repetitive situation that we've got to get fixed," Poles added. "And then when he gets back, he's going to have to earn that trust back and that dependability. Because we've got to put all the guys in a good position to be successful, and the up-and-down moving guys around is really tough. So, he'll have to earn that back when he gets back."

As for Johnson, he had two words when asked what his message would be for Gordon: "Get healthy."

Safe to say, frustrations are boiling over in Chicago.

More injury updates

Chicago Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

T.J. Edwards (calf) landed on the NFI list and rookie Keyshaun Elliott (back) was placed on the PUP list at the outset of training camp, but the expectation is neither one will be out for long.

"We don't see that as anything major, shouldn't be too long with that," Poles said of Edwards, who suffered his injury outside of Chicago's facility.

Safety Elijah Hicks (shin), who is on the PUP list, is "on the mend," according to Poles, and his issue is not viewed as anything serious.

Latest update on left tackle

Chicago Bears offensive tackle Braxton Jones. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Poles mentioned Braxton Jones, Theo Benedet, Jedrick Wills and Kiran Amegadjie as players who will be competing for the left tackle spot.

“It’s going to be a great competition,” Poles said. “I think we’ve got Braxton at a really good spot, probably the healthiest he’s been since his first year. So he’s going to compete, he’s got a lot of snaps under his belt. Theo’s done a great job. We see what he’s done with his body this offseason and he just continues to get bigger, stronger, faster to understand what we’re trying to do. 

“I was really encouraged by Jedrick Wills and his progress that he’s made and he’s put over double-digit lean mass on his body, which is something we were looking forward to as he gets to getting back to what he was. So that whole group — and then Ozzy’s working his tail off. So we got a couple of layers to that and we’ll see how it all plays out – and Kiran (Amegadjie) as well.”

Jones dominated reps at left tackle during the spring and it sure seems like he's the clear front-runner for the job. We'll see if Wills, Benedet or Amegadjie can make up some ground in training camp, but at this point it would be surprising to see anyone other than Jones starting in Week 1.

Darnell Wright extension update

Chicago Bears offensive tackle Darnell Wright. | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

It's clear a Wright extension is a priority for the Bears, but Poles has also seemingly imposed a deadline to get something done.

“I think there’s a window to get a deal done and then at some point we’ve got to go play football," Poles stated before later reiterating that "when it’s time to go play football, we’ll go play football and keep it moving."

That didn't sound too positive, nor did Poles saying "it takes two sides to get things done, but at the end of the day I don’t want any distractions or anything like that," which makes it sound like talks aren't going great between the two sides.

Poles did say, however, that he thinks the two sides will "figure that part out" and made it quite clear that "Darnell's a guy we want here long term."

Overall, this is a different tone than the one we have heard from Poles in the past when talking about a Wright extension, but we also have to account for the fact that he's in the middle of a negotiation for what will likely be a hefty deal.

Chicago still has ample time to get something done because of the fact that Wright still has one more year left on his deal, but the longer the Bears wait, the more expensive Wright could become.

More Luther Burden hype

Chicago Bears wide receiver Luther Burden III. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

We've heard Johnson express his hype for Luther Burden during the offseason and Poles is on the same train.

"If there’s a guy that I’m really excited about, it’s Luther Burden, just because of how much he’s grown from the day he walked in this building," Poles said. "I mean, I heard he was just texting and calling these quarterbacks just looking for an arm to throw to him every day of the week. The guy loves football, he’s passionate about it. He wants to helps this team win, and he wants to be the absolute best receiver he can possibly be. You can feel the fire inside of him and I’m excited to see that show up."

With DJ Moore gone, the Bears desperately need Burden to step up behind Rome Odunze and Colston Loveland. So far, it looks like he's on track to do just that with a Year 2 leap.