Three days into training camp, practice has ramped up a bit. We’re now in the portion of the offseason where the serious work is done to get ready for the offseason. This is when guys win jobs and when roster cuts are made.
Don’t expect those decisions to be made just yet, though.
“I told the guys today, ‘You make the team or you make your position in pads,’” said Bears head coach Matt Eberflus. “It’s hard to evaluate guys when we’re out here and not in pads. The pass protection is hard. The pass rush is hard to really evaluate if a guy can bore around the corner or if he can really protect against the bull rush.”
Stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Chicago sports teams! Sign up here for our All Access Daily newsletter.
The Bears also put limits on exactly what players can and cannot do when they’re wearing shells in order to help prevent injuries.
“Everyone has got to stay on their feet,” Eberflus said.
The team will have to make one big decision, eventually. There’s an active competition at center between Ryan Bates and Coleman Shelton, and the sooner the team has that competition finished the better. That way Caleb Williams can get used to receiving the ball from one player on every snap. The other interior linemen can get comfortable with the center’s nuances, too. Bates and Shelton have different body types, so the fits are slightly different for the guards playing beside them.
“Just being able to come together and understand maybe Coleman likes to slide a bit more on pass pro and then Ryan likes to slide a little bit less,” said left guard Teven Jenkins.
NFL
The team won’t put the pads on until Friday, so the competition won't really heat up until later this week. Beyond that, the Bears won’t force a timeline on the decision.
“There’s a human element always to the competitions and understanding when that right time is,” said offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. “Isn’t going to be the same for every single competition and every single player.”
“We’re going to let that play out,” said Eberflus.
In the meantime, the team is looking on the bright side of having two centers split reps with the starting unit.
“From an adjustment standpoint I think it’s good for all the quarterbacks to have an understanding of what the little nuances are from one center to the next,” said Waldron. “Knowing every play starts out with that exchange right there and how important ball security is and the turnover margin is and the turnover margin is in this league, to know I can adjust in the game if something’s off a little bit no matter what the center is, no matter who’s playing.”
After all, injuries are the one thing every NFL team can count on every season. Doubly so on the offensive line. When guys sub in and out, the job remains the same.
“Everyone’s gotta roll together and be as one.”