The Chicago Bears held the final offseason practice with their rookie class Wednesday at Halas Hall before beginning a five-week summer break.
Veteran players left for the summer last week after mandatory minicamp, but coach Matt Eberflus held three more rookie sessions that he said allowed the coaches to slow down their teaching and explain concepts in detail.
Before they departed, Eberflus offered a message to the rookies, noting that more work needs to be done before training camp.
“Where we’re at right now is a place where we can’t be,” Eberflus said. “We’ve got to be at a level up. We’ve got to level up two spots in those four weeks in the preparation.”
After practice, Eberflus, offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, quarterback Caleb Williams and wide receiver Rome Odunze spoke to reporters about the offseason and what’s next before camp. Here are highlights from those sessions.
Caleb Williams watch
The Bears quarterback has only 34 days to fill between Wednesday’s official end of the offseason program and the rookie reporting date for training camp in mid-July. Williams has vowed to find a healthy balance between continuing his growth as a player while also finding time for decompression and leisure.
“You set a plan,” he said. “You set a routine before it happens so that you’re not in the process of trying to figure, ‘Oh, what’s going to happen (next)? When am I going to come back to work? What day am I going to start working? What day am I going to do this and that?’
“You set all that in place and then you stick to it. That’s the biggest thing for the offseason I’ve gotten from the older guys is set a plan, stick to it and go from there.”
Williams has been pushing to assemble a group trip — likely somewhere in Florida or California — for key offensive and defensive players to strengthen their chemistry on the field and their bond off of it. He said Wednesday his biggest accomplishment during his first seven weeks as a Bear was establishing an early connection with so many teammates, something he will continue to prioritize.
Photos: Inside Chicago Bears minicamp at Halas Hall
He understands his own responsibility, while crossing the bridge from OTAs to training camp, to heighten his mastery of the offense and all that will be required of him. With his coaches continually reminding him to stay grounded at this stage of development, the next steps, offensive coordinator Shane Waldron said, will require Williams to absorb the voluminous offense the Bears have given him while developing “continued ownership of the scheme and of the operation.”
“There is expectation there,” Waldron said. “Because that’s studying and that’s putting in the work — even though it’s downtime — on that relentless pursuit of finding the edge.
“And for him, finding that edge going into training camp is about being better than he was when he left here today without the benefit of practices. And that will be so much focused on studying, watching tape and then throwing and working on his fundamentals.”
Player in the spotlight
Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze speaks with the media in the PNC Center at Halas Hall on June 12, 2024, in Lake Forest (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
Odunze may be in the NFL now, but that doesn’t mean his mom is off the hook for helping him train.
He said one of his methods for learning, along with taking notes and watching film, is having his parents call out plays while he runs routes. And that won’t stop this summer now that he’s the No. 9 NFL draft pick.
“When I go back to Vegas, Mom is going to have to go to work,” Odunze said with a smile. “She’s going to have to be out there in that 115 degrees. She already knows that. But it’s all love. They want the best for me. They enjoy it.”
Over his break, Odunze plans to spend a week or two with family and friends while also working on his strength and conditioning because he isn’t where he wants to be from a physical standpoint. Then he’ll focus on training with the intention of returning to Lake Forest two weeks before camp starts to get into a routine.
Odunze got off to a slow start in his first professional offseason program because of a hamstring issue, which he said popped up because he didn’t prepare his body for the number of reps he’d be getting with his new team after the buildup to the draft.
But he recovered fairly quickly and was able to get in plenty of work with Williams against the Bears starting defense, which he said sharpened his skills. He also thinks being around veteran wide receivers Keenan Allen and DJ Moore has helped his growth.
“It’s not even measurable the impact they can make on my career,” Odunze said. “Just being in the room with them for four weeks, I’ve already learned so much. So to be in a room with them throughout a whole season, learning from them in training camp, it’s just going to take my game to the next level and something I’m super excited about because it’s not often that you get to come on to the wing of a Hall of Famer and a soon-to-be Hall of Famer.”
Eberflus and Waldron said Odunze has picked up the offense and his understanding of all three receiver spots quickly.
“Some guys just have a knack to do it, right?” Eberlus said. “They can see the pictures, the drawings in the classroom, and they can apply that right to the field. He’s able to process a bunch of information at the same time and then take it to the field. He’s really good that way.”
Heard at Halas Hall
Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron speaks with the media in the PNC Center at Halas Hall on June 12, 2024, in Lake Forest (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)
With so many new faces on the offense, relationship building was a focus during the offseason, and one of the most important unions is that of Waldron and Williams.
Since Williams arrived at Halas Hall at the beginning of May, Waldron said he has been struck by the quarterback’s ability to listen and desire to learn every day. Waldron has seen that in Williams’ readiness in the meeting room and in his texts at “all sorts of different times” asking about the “whys” of plays.
Williams said he and Waldron have been growing together, figuring out what works for them and how they will communicate when Williams is on the field or the sideline.
“That’s one of the most, if not the most, important relationships on the coaching staff and throughout this team for me to have is my OC,” Williams said. “And for us to be on the same page throughout this process and growing and learning (is key).”
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Waldron also wants to get to understand Williams off the field.
“When the season starts, when there are different ups and downs during the season, I think the closer you are with people, the more willing you are to listen and overcome hard times during the season,” Waldron said. “So we’re just building up that armor, developing that relationship and just getting ready to go for this 2024 season.”
Quote of note
Eberflus on the value 40-year-old tight end Marcedes Lewis brings to the team after he re-signed this week: “He’s a tremendous leader who has a great way about him. And he has great wisdom and discernment. He helps everyone in the building, not just the players. He helps me in terms of having the feel for the team and where everybody is. He has been a tremendous leader since I’ve known him and we’re certainly excited to have him back.”
Injury update
Third-round pick Kiran Amegadjie remained unable to participate in on-field work during the final OTA sessions as he works his way back from quadriceps surgery in October.
Eberflus said the Bears project Amegadjie will be ready to get back on the field when training camp starts next month. If that’s the case, the rookie should be in line to compete for the swing offensive tackle role.
In the meantime, Eberflus said, Amegadjie has impressed the coaching staff with his retention of information and ability to understand protection responsibilities and blocking schemes.
