After watching Ben Johnson coach in last Wednesday's OTA practice inside the Walter Payton Center at Halas Hall, it’s clear the Chicago Bears head coach is fixated on details.
He raised his voice, blew his whistle, and grimaced when players' alignments were off, the timing in the huddle was delayed, and after players ran the wrong route.
If something was off, Johnson wanted to make those issues known and address them.
"It's the way we're coaching every position right now,” Johnson said. “Particularly on offense, from me, and then on defense, with DA (Defensive Coordinator Dennis Allen), every position has heard it the same way, and we're just communicating. It's loud in there, you know that, so sometimes your voice gets a little bit elevated at times. We're just communicating that it's not good enough and we need a little bit better."
As expected, there is plenty for the Bears to adjust as the coaches are becoming acclimated to the players and the players to the coaches. The media will get another opportunity to see if there is a cleaner practice on May 28.
Here are some of the top areas to keep an eye on as the Bears enter Week 2 of OTAs.
Offensive Adjustments
The Bears’ offense looked like it was in the early stages of implementing a new offense. Even though just a week has passed, it will be worth noting if the same mistakes are continuing to persist on the offensive side of the ball.
A majority of my focus will be on the offensive huddle and how Johnson is gauging the timing and procedure of the overall operation. He blew the whistle several times last week due to something being off as Caleb Williams was relaying the play to his teammates.
This also applies to lining up properly and wide receivers running the correct routes. During last Wednesday’s OTA practice, there was an instance when two receivers were in the same exact area in the field, but the play still ended up in a completion. There was also a rep when Rome Odunze appeared to look confused presnap, putting his hand in the air to indicate something was wrong, but he still ran a 10-yard stop route and ended up catching a pass from Williams.
Let’s see if the unit can put together a cleaner performance on Wednesday.
Injured Rookies
The Chicago Bears were without their top two draft picks in last Wednesday’s OTA practice. Tight end Colston Loveland and wide receiver Luther Burden III did not participate in the on-field workouts. Loveland is still recovering from AC joint surgery that he had in January.
Johnson provided an update on Burden last Wednesday.
"He wasn't out there today,” Johnson said. “We're working through a little soft-tissue deal with him right now. It remains to be seen when we'll get him back."
Given that Burden is dealing with a soft tissue injury, it’s highly likely the Bears will give the second-round draft pick all the time he needs to come back fully healthy. There is no need to rush him onto the field when he can still get valuable reps in the classroom as he learns Johnson’s offense.
Veteran wide receivers Olamide Zacheaus and Devin Duvernay mixed in with the first-team offense and lined up in the slot. There were several plays where the two were asked to go in motion prior to the snap.
It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Loveland sidelined for this next OTA practice as well. The Bears did sign Durham Smythe, and he saw some reps with the first offensive unit when Cole Kmet wasn’t in.
During last Wednesday’s practice, I didn’t see Loveland or Burden inside the Walter Payton Center, so I’ll watch if either is present this upcoming week.
Defensive line rotations
With the additions of Grady Jarrett and Dayo Odeyingbo in free agency, the Bears added two starters to their defensive line. Jarrett will be entering his 11th season with a team other than the Falcons, while Odeyinbo will be entering just his fifth season and first with Chicago.
Although it’s still so early on in the NFL calendar, it will be worth watching how defensive coordinator Dennis Allen and defensive line coach Jeremy Grant utilize the weapons they have up front.
General manager Ryan Poles also drafted Shemar Turner in the second round, and he will be implemented on the interior when Jarrett, Gervon Dexter Sr., and Andrew Billings, who was not present in last Wednesday’s OTA practice, need to take a breather.
When Jarrett was asked about Dexter last week, he said that their playing styles “complement each other very well. " Texas A&M defensive line coach Sean Spencer coached Dexter and Turner in college and sees those two as a good tandem in the NFL.
Even though the Bears are just in helmets and without pads, this is a good time to experiment with different personnel groupings to see how each player maximizes the other. I will be keeping my eyes on the lineups throughout OTAs.