The Chicago Bears kicked off their three-day mandatory veteran mini-camp on Tuesday, marking the first time that the team's new look offense went up against the Bears' defense in 7-on-7 drills.
Among the additions that the Bears made on offense this offseason was trading for Pro-Bowl wide receiver Keenan Allen. Among the initial takeakways that Allen had after practice on Tuesday, the arrow on the Bears' defense is point up.
Keenan Allen said of the Bears' defense: "They look like a top-five defense. Sounds like a top-five defense too. Defenses are annoying, especially in practice. ... Their energy, the way they communicate, the way they get lined up, it's definitely high class."
— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) June 4, 2024
The Bears' defense carried the team to seven wins last season, and the expectation is that the unit will become a top-five group in the NFL during the 2024 season. It did not take Allen long to echo a similar sentiment.
The Bears' defense will be a perfect learning opportunity for the new-look offense.
Let's rewind the tape to after the 2018 season when then Bears' quarterback Mitch Trubisky was going through his second offseason with Matt Nagy as his head coach. Reports from OTAs and training camp during the Bears' 2019 offseason program were that Trubisky was struggling. In part, Trubisky's struggles were tied to the fact that Khalil Mack was a menace to the Bears' offensive line. Trubisky never took a step forward that offseason and once the 2019 season began, it was quickly discovered that the Bears once again had a quarterback problem.
For Allen, Caleb Williams, and the rest of the Bears' offense, there will be days in OTAs and Training Camp when the defense wins. But, the biggest lesson that can be learned is if Williams continues to improve with each day that passes. Whether it was Trubisky or Justin Fields, there never seemed to be incremental improvement for the Bears' quarterback during the team's offseason program. If Williams can show that gradual improvement, that certainly will be an encouraging sign for what lies ahead in his rookie season.