Lewis on Caleb Williams, Waldron's offensive scheme |
LAKE FOREST, I.L. - Tight end
Marcedes Lewis has played in many different offenses during his 18-year career, most of those with the Jacksonville Jaguars, although he played for the Bears last season. With the Jaguars, he has played with rookie quarterbacks and seen offenses struggle during training camp.
That is something normal, but something the offense is making progress with every day. “Obviously, with a young quarterback, we’re going to have those moments. In the passing game, it’s about being cohesive and the timing of it all, and we’re still working out those kinks. But, as far as what we’re going to be able to do, we’re not even really worried about it,” Lewis said. “We got the guys and the positions to do work, and we’re just going to lean on the work. We understand that not every day is going to be beautiful out there. But, if you keep working through it. Come September, we’ll be just fine.” Chicago decided to bring Lewis back in June to have another veteran presence on the roster. He is 40 years old, older than anyone else on the roster, especially because the Bears have such a young roster. For comparison, Chicago’s rookie quarterback, Caleb Williams, is only 22 and about to make his NFL debut in the Bears’ upcoming preseason game against the Buffalo Bills on Sat. Aug. 10 (Noon / NFL Network). Williams was drafted into a talented offense with receivers DJ Moore and Keenan Allen, fellow rookie Rome Odunze, a stellar tight end group that also includes Cole Kmet and Gerald Everett, and dynamic running back D’Andre Swift. With all of this talent around him, Lewis is confident that Williams will be able to make this happen for the Bears' offense. “As far as him coming into the offense and being able to just do his thing, it’s about everybody else around him being the best we can be on every play, and if we go out there and we’re our personal best on every snap, then he can go out there and just flow and do his thing, and I think we’re set up offensively right now for that to happen,” Lewis said. Last year when Lewis played with the Bears, the offense was run by offensive coordinator Luke Getsy. Getsy was not what Chicago needed in an offensive coordinator. So, they now have Shane Waldron as the coordinator, who has previous experience as an offensive coordinator. Lewis is fond of Waldron’s offensive scheme as it allows more freedom for the tight ends. “In our offense, the tight ends are expected to be heavily relied on, and we understand that, and we take that on,” Lewis said. “We like knowing that, and again, we’re still working out the kinks and trying to figure out what guys do and what’s the best situations to put them in to be successful and make plays, and it’s been fun doing that. But, you can count on us being the catalyst for sure.” In 2023, Lewis only had four receptions for 29 yards. So, he is not expected to take the field much under Waldron’s offense. However, he is a valuable mentor to Kmet and Everett, who are both significantly younger than him, so they can maximize their talents in Waldron’s offensive scheme.
