What Bears Offense Showed in Offseason

The self-evident truths about the Bears offense that became apparent during OTAs and minicamp.

From the outset of organized team activities, Justin Fields looked sharper than in his first two years.

The quicker reads and more accurate throws continued through to the end of minicamp.

It's not as if every throw was on the money or in places they had to be, but a good percentage were and the ball seemed to come out with less hesitance.

"It's truly amazing when you have that feeling going in, knowing where your guys are going to be, more comfortable with the footwork stuff," Fields said. "It's been great.

"I got to work on stuff in the offseason of what I needed to work on and stuff like that. Having that second-year experience from last year and stuff like that with the same offense is great."

Matt Eberflus spoke about the importance of a second year in the offense and defense but on the defensive side there are so many new starters the repeat effect seems negligible.

On offense it's a different story. Khalil Herbert wasn't the starter at running back but did start some and played enough to know the offense well. The only other new starters are wide receiver DJ Moore, guard Nate Davis and tackle Darnell Wright—although the line positions are flipped around with Teven Jenkins at left guard and Cody Whitehair at center.

Moore's connection with Fields came on quickly.

"That's one thing that I was kind of impressed about, like, with the offense coming in and just understanding, seeing coverages really well on short routes and stuff like that, he's been great," Fields said. "And you know, the chemistry has really picked up."

Because injuries affected both Darnell Mooney and Chase Claypool in offseason work, Fields had to make a significant number of his throws to Equanimeous St. Brown and Dante Pettis. The two backup receivers know the offense well after playing in it last year and timing with both seemed solid.

If both of those two could step in with Fields and become easy targets, this can translate into good timing in training camp with both Mooney and Claypool because both were with the team last year.

"So, I feel like when Chase was practicing with us, we did get that down a little bit," Fields said. "I think he grew tremendously from last year until now. So, I think we got a base in.

"With Mooney, I feel like I'm already connected with Mooney, so that's fine."

Eberflus wasn't as quick to pass this off as a technicality after being asked about it by reporters. It's going to need to be addressed at training camp.

"Like you guys said yesterday, we have guys that weren't in there—Claypool, Mooney, different guys that weren't in there that we're going to have to catch up on that," Eberflus said. "So we're going to continue to do that."

As long as they can avoid further delays in work with receivers and quarterbacks, it appears something they can overcome at training camp.

Here are the other key takeaways from offseason work involving the Bears offense.

Real Running Back Rotation

It's going to be the first true back-by-committee approach the Bears have used. They've talked about it before, dabbled at it a bit but never committed fully to this. There are too many who could contribute, and different skill sets they can bring to the offense either as a runner, receiver or blocker out of the backfield. In offseason work, it's impossible to tell much because there is no contact. However, it was apparent Khalil Herbert can catch the ball better than he gets credit for and that rookie Roschon Johnson can do everything. The skill brought by D'Onta Foreman, as a battering ram type, is not going to be apparent until the start of training camp.

"It's a balance," Eberflus said. "You got to be able to feel it out, look at the skill and assess that, what they're good at, and put those guys in position to do those jobs."

He's not offering up any clues on this rotation yet.

"I think we'll just let that play out," Eberflus said.

Herbert and Foreman look like they'd get a few more carries than Johnson, at least initially. Rookie running backs need to figure out the ropes, especially with pass blocking.

"We're doing a lot of equal reps right now between those two guys, and of course we got the young guy (Johnson) in there that might make a move too," Eberflus said. "It's great. It's always about competition between those guys.

"Running back position is a big spot. There's a lot to do there in terms of protecting the quarterback No. 1, obviously running the rock No. 2, and being able to be a viable option out of the backfield in the receiving game."

Early Opportunity

Receivers chosen on Day 3 of the draft don't figure to be big parts of stronger offenses in Year 1. This year younger Bears receivers have plenty of competition for targets and it will make it even tougher.

Pro Football Focus has ranked Bears receivers the 13th best in the league by Pro Football Focus, after they were a mess last year.

However, don't be surprised if Tyler Scott capitalizes on his chances in preseason and earns some targets in games. He had more of an opportunity to get OTA/minicamp plays with the first team than most rookie receivers because Claypool and Mooney weren't around and exhibited real route-running skills with good hands and quick feet.

They have even had him fielding punts, which he hadn't done since high school. They'll need to keep working at this because Velus Jones Jr. had a small bit of experience at this and last year they insisted on using him in this fashion, with horrible results in two games.

"I've been really pleased with him," offensive coordinator Luke Getsy said. "By no means is he where he needs to be, but (from) where he's going and his approach and the way he attacks every single day, I'm jnreally excited for him."

Well-Defined Roles

The offensive linemen talk about being together with the same group and building a cohesive unit. Naturally this is important, but even bigger is knowing now in the offseason what their roles are.

When OTAs started last year, Teven Jenkins had no idea he would be a right guard and has since been moved to left guard. They had no idea who the starting right tackle would be last year even into camp, and it changed in the regular season. The starting left tackle was a guess and Braxton Jones was probably the third option even as late as a week before training camp.

Cody Whitehair is now a center again but it was decided very early on when the Bears signed right guard Nate Davis. Offensive line coach Chris Morgan phoned Jenkins then to let him know he would be moving to left guard. They all knew well in advance where they were going and began preparing for it. They're far ahead of the game compared to last year, when it was a guessing game from week to week.

With everything settled ahead of time, there is little uncertainty and only preparation.

"It lets me actually get good at my craft," Jenkins said. "It feels good because I can actually work on one thing instead of trying to flip flop sides and make sure I have equal work on both sides."

So even though the line wasn't allowed to hit in OTAs and minicamp, they're at least playing their own positions and getting looks at defenses as plays are run from those spots.

Bottom line, they're ahead of the game.

Expect the Unexpected

The version of the Bears offense witnessed last year might look a good deal different than this year's, although it's really not.

It's just that Getsy's hands were tied by an inefficient passing game. The use of Fields as a running quarterback wasn't planned at the outset, but Getsy adjusted. It greatly simplified the attack. Their problems keeping their offensive line healthy and on the field required things to be simple, as well. Now it could look different.

Tight end Robert Tonyan Jr. saw this same offense working while with Green Bay and says it can be entirely deceptive when used properly. The same play gets run out of different formations and personnel groupings, confusing defenses.

"I think that's, like, a good offense," he said. "It's a lot of smoke in the mirror to get what you want accomplished."

Red Alert

The warning lights are up. It's not an offensive issue, but one involving an offensive player.

The Bears have been getting Velus Jones Jr. work as a punt returner. Again.

"He's continued to do that and he's been working on catching the punts, which is really good," Eberflus said. "Gonna be a big part for us if he can work that and be consistent going through camp and show he can do that on a full-time basis.

"So we're excited where that is."

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven