Strong First Impressions from Bears Rookies

One of the questions everyone wants an answer to with each draft class is how long before rookies are ready to start or contribute significant minutes.

This answer is usually based on need.

In the case of first-round draft picks, it's normally expected they'll start from Day 1 unless they're quarterbacks. Then, they could be ready in their first year sometime, like Justin Fields. If a first-round pick isn't ready to start as a rookie at some point, something's wrong or he isn't needed. Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love still has played only 157 NFL snaps and he's going into Year 4.

As for players taken in other rounds, it's usually a case of coaches keeping a close eye on a rookie and knowing when they're ready.

The Bears come into this season with a very full draft class and right tackle Darnell Wright already is being groomed as opening-day starter. Last year they had fifth-round tackle Braxton Jones, second-round safety Jaquan Brisker and second-round cornerback Kyler Gordon starting on opening day. Fifth-round edge rusher Dominique Robinson was playing opening day and starting by Week 10. Seventh-round safety Elijah Hicks played in Week 3 and started by Week 13.

All of those opening-day starters last year went into situations with obvious lineup holes.

It's not the case this year with the exception of Wright. However, cornerback Tyrique Stevenson is in a situation where he could get put into the fire opening day. He did take most of the snaps in offseason work with starters.

The need isn't as great for Bears second-round pick Gervon Dexter or third-rounder Zacch Pickens to start because Justin Jones is in place as a starter. The same is true with their fourth-round picks, Tyler Scott and Roschon Johnson.

Here's an outlook for the Bears rookies being ready to play quickly.

Darnell Wright

Their right tackle has been with starters from Day 1 and the entire starting offensive line has been practicing together since Week 3 of OTAs.

With Wright, the determining factor is handling the mental aspect of it at this time.

"His confidence has grown," offensive line coach Chris Morgan said. "The more you hear the calls, the more you hear the install, the more you study, the more you hear the scheme. When you own it as a player and you learn it, confidence rises.

"It's cool to see that. He's starting to get it. Things are coming together. It's been fun."

The key on the offensive line for Wright beyond knowing the scheme is communication. From that end, starting out with the starters from Day 1 makes for an ideal situation.

"Just learning to communicate with the guy next to him because it is a little bit different--it's just different," Morgan said. "You huddle, you get to the line of scrimmage, we're motioning all the time, sometimes there is multiple plays. It takes a little bit getting used to."

Wright wasn't used to the huddle because they didn't do much of it at Tennessee, and he also said he was used to a faster playing style since they didn't huddle.

None of this should be a hindereance. If anything, it should help him be ready for frantic two-minute situations.

Expect: Day 1 starter.

Tyrique Stevenson

Stevenson is already ahead of the game in a way. One adjustment many players must make in the NFL is a new coaching staff. Stevenson has done nothing but switch coaching staffs and thrived anyway.

"Because at Miami I had two different coaching staffs, so just giving me the opportunity to realize how different coaches coach and realize how different staffs work together and everything," Stevenson said.

This is actually his fourth staff since college started because he was at Georgia initially and transferred.

Stevenson's long arms and athleticism have been noted by coach Matt Eberflus since his arrival. Eberflus thinks Stevenson's impact will be even more obvious when training camp begins and they go to pads.

"We know he likes to hit," Eberflus said. "That's why he's here. Corners need to tackle. They need to really be a physical force out there and he's gonna do that. And we're excited about that, getting the pads on. So I think he'll take even a step up more when we get the pads on. We get to see him get used to those pads."

Expect: Day 1 starter.

Gervon Dexter, Zach Picckens

They play alongside each other or replacing one another at defensive tackle, and were taken within half a round of each other, so it's best to lump the two in together. Neither will start early, it would seem. The pass rush will be part of the reason. They're probably not used to what's required at this point.

"The problem about pass rushing is, what we say in our front, is that defense for us is four equals one," defensive line coach Travis Smith said. "So it's about four men on the same page actually reacting and figuring out how to get in there based on what we're seeing with how they (opponents) protect.

"So you get a lot of young rushers who are thinking all over the place like 'What kind of new move can I get?' "

The approach is just different than college based on players being less dominant with more equal skill levels. They find it's more about pressure than piling up sacks -- although non one will be complaining about someone getting them.

"It's about a signature move and a counter off that," Smith said. "It's about working together as a defensive front. There are six rush lanes and four D-linemen. We're responsible for six gaps versus Justin Fields, Pat Mahomes, Justin Herbert, Josh Allen. That's the job and a massive task. So it's about being able to affect the quarterback but with discipline."

The rookies are going to need to learn that discipline as pass rushers and also in run defense, because they'll need to stay in their assignment gaps within this one-gap defensive front.

With Dexter, especially, his stance needed adjusting.

"He's really learning how to take off," Eberflus said. "At Florida he was more of a two-gap guy, so he was more square, moving with the offensive linemen, not moving off the ball in a takeoff position. He's working on that. We elongated his stance a little bit to help him do that and we moved him around a little bit."

They're looking for continued progress at camp.

"We want to make sure it's consistent and we're not taking one step forward and two steps back," Smith said.

Expect: Both will play 10 to 25 downs a game in a rotation as the backup defensive tackles, barring injuries to starters Justin Jones and Andrew Billings.

Roschon Johnson

When they drafted Johnson coaches and personnel people raved about him. No one has changed their opinion after seeing him close up.

He's obviously not going to need to play right away on offense with two veteran backs in front of him but could get plays if it's deemed two backs who lack much experience pass blocking are struggling.

Pass blocking and ability to use leverage when doing it are great strengths backs coach David Walker has seen in Johnson.

"When I say leverage, in interior rush, I want to square up a guy in the inside, but if I was blocking that edge guy, I want to be slightly inside leverage on a guy," Walker said. "He (Johnson) understands body position, leverage; he has a strike. He'll end up being fine."

Coaches, especially with the Bears, love saying they can't really tell a lot about the players until pads come on in camp. Especially with running backs, it's been said repeatedly by past Bears coaching regimes.

"I don't need to see him in pads to know what it's going to look like when the pads come on, because I saw it all over Texas' film," Walker said.

Expect: Special teams help and a few plays a game on offense at first. Dont be stunned if he emerges as one of the top two backs by season's end.

Tyler Scott

Scott's presence in the offense might have been more obvious than almost all the other rookies, largely because of opportunity. Injury absences of Darnell Mooney and Chase Claypool moved everyone up a spot or two. It meant plenty of work with backup QB PJ Walker and some with Fields for Scott and he flashed his speed numerous times, as well as route-running ability. What was surprising considering the competition was how often he got open deep. He had one throw from Walker against the first-team defense in which he had cut across the field and then gone deep sideline but still made the catch. When they were in one two-minute drill, Scott caught passes on three consecutive plays from Walker.

What they see more than anything else is someone who comprehends the passing attack immediately. This hasn't always been the case with young Bears receivers.

"There are some things that we put in, everything's new to him, and we'll put in something that's new and he doesn't make the same mistake twice," receivers coach Tyke Tolbert said. "That's always a good sign for any player, much less receiver."

Expect: He'll fight to try to be active on game days and also to play a role on special teams. Anything else depends on injuries or other receivers flopping in learning their duties.

Noah Sewell

Bears coach Matt Eberflus had to downplay Sewell's showing a bit. He had to play a good deal more than a fifth-round rookie would have the right to expect because starting strongside Jack Sanborn was out. Still, they had Dylan Cole available and it seemed coaches wanted to keep Sewell on the field to test him.

"We'll see where he goes," Eberflus said. "With rookies, it's always know what to do first, so he knows his assignment so he can do it fast. He's getting better at it. We love his instincts. He's a very instinctual player."

It was almost comical when linebackers coach Dave Borgonzi was asked about Sewell and almost echoed Eberflus.

"He's around the ball. He's got good instincts," Borgonzi said.

Just like with Stevenson, the Bears like Sewell's ability to be physical. So they expect he'll look better when they're hitting.

"He's a bigger guy … strong," Borgonzi said. "He's a really strong player. He's got strong hands. Good tackler. So I think he's got a lot of upside. And he's still trying to figure it out."

Expect: Special teams and active on Sundays, with an occasional defensive down for specific purposes like blitzing. Like with Scott and Johnson, he has the potential to be starting by season's end.

Terell Smith

Eventually he might impress someone enough to get playing time but the secondary spots are filling fast and he missed practice time with an unspecified offseason injury.

Eberflus even said he had wished he saw more from "Smitty" during OTAs and minicamp because he had flashed skills in rookie camp and the start of OTAs.

Expect: A roster spot but not much of a role unless someone is injured.

Travis Bell

It's crowded in the tackle spots with the other two rookies, Billings and Jones. With the Bears planning to rotate ends down into the tackle spots for pass rush situations, it makes Bell's bid for a roster spot seem even more shaky.

Expect: Practice squad.

Kendall Williamson

He figured to be fighting just to be on the roster and still will but they never did bring back DeAndre Houston-Carson and it opens a roster spot for a young player. With Elijah Hicks getting all of the snaps as third safety in the offseason, it's Williams, the seventh-rounder and next-to-last pick, trying to beat out A.J. Thomas and Adrian Colbert for a spot. His reputation as a hitter could keep him leading the race for a roster spot at safety and play special teams on Sundays.

"He's very astute," safeties coach Andre Curtis said. "He's picking up the defense. He's growing. He's good a really good personality. Fits in with our guys, and he's doing some good things on special teams as well."

Expect: He'll be the fourth safety and play special teams. He might even find a way to be the first safety off the bench because of his size and speed.

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