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The Chicago Bears have already had two Organized Training Activities (OTAs) since the NFL Draft in April. The Bears also have their mandatory minicamp scheduled between June 3 and 5. Head coach Ben Johnson has his work cut out for him in his first year with the team. The Bears are coming off a 5-12 season that saw them lose 10 games in a row before they beat the Green Bay Packers in the season finale.
The Bears appear to have a fairly talented roster for a team that finished in last place in the NFC North last year, but that may be cold comfort. The same was said about the team a year ago under former head coach Matt Eberflus, but the team made too many mistakes and the offensive line failed to protect quarterback Caleb Williams.
The Bears quarterback was sacked a league-leading 68 times during the season. While much of that was due to the porous group blocking for him, Williams bears quite a bit of responsibility. As quarterback, he needed to make quicker decisions with the ball.
That has been one of the primary goals of the first two OTAs and it will remain in place during the minicamp. Williams has to show he can make quicker decisions with the ball. He either has to throw the ball to his receivers or take off out of the pocket. Williams demonstrated that he is a fine runner and he must take advantage of his opportunities to pick up key yards on the ground
Johnson schooling Williams on his release and his presentation
Johnson has been working with Williams on his decision making, and the second-year quarterback is enjoying working with his new boss.
“I think you have been able to see it when Johnson gets up here, you get a little taste of how he is. He’s always laser-focused,” Williams said, per The Athletic. “He encourages and he pushes you and challenges you to be at your best, as a team, offense, defense, special teams. Doesn’t matter position.
When the Bears were in the middle of their 10-game losing streak and opposing defenses were chasing down Williams on a regular basis, the quarterback often showed his frustration.
His shoulders would slump, he would look at his offensive line and he would also make gestures with his palms to show his displeasure.
Body language is an issue for Williams
While there was a natural sense of frustration when a quarterback gets sacked and hit so many times, Johnson wants to see his quarterback act in a more professional manner. He does not want to see his quarterback get hit so many times, but he has to get up, run to the huddle and call the next play as if nothing had happened.
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Johnson pointed out to the media that body language is a huge issue. When players give off signals that they are unhappy with the way a game is turning out or the way their teammates are performing, that's a sign of weakness that opponents pick up on.
Johnson was the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions before he was hired by the Bears, and that offense was the best in the NFL last year during the regular season. The Lions were a fully confident team last year and they had long ago put away those issues. If they made mistakes, they simply moved on to the next play. That allowed them to dictate the pace of the game and stay positive for four quarters.
The Bears are unlikely to master those issues in one season, but they do have to show improvement.
Bears need significant upgrade on offense
The Bears have multiple areas that need to improve in 2024. They are counting on improvement from the offensive line because they signed OG Joe Thuney from the Kansas City Chiefs and C Drew Dalman from the Atlanta Falcons. They also traded for OG Jonah Jackson of the Los Angeles Rams.
The Bears are hoping that a pair of rookies upgrade the skill positions. Luther Burden III figures to join D.J. Moore and Rome Odunze at the wide receiver slot and tight end Colston Loveland could become a key playmaker at tight end if he is healthy.
If the Bears can show some growth in all of these areas by the end of minicamp, they should have a fighting chance to make progress in what is quite likely to be the best division in the NFL.
