Eberflus talks Caleb Williams snap count during preseason |
LAKE FOREST, IL — Head coach Matt Eberflus is going into his third training camp as the Chicago Bears head coach. This year, things are drastically different from the previous two seasons, with a new quarterback, a drastically different receiving core, and improved depth and competition.
“We have a high-character football team, and we’re excited about getting the continuity of the offense, defense, and special teams together during this camp, and that’s a big piece of that. That’s really investing, we’re going to invest. Those guys have to invest a lot,” Eberflus said. “We have a lot of work to do. We have to grow as a football team and then ultimately, we’re going to improve … Going to have some really good, elite competition.” With Eberflus and general manager Ryan Poles at the helm, Chicago has been active around the trade deadline, acquiring edge rusher Montez Sweat last year. They have also been deliberate about their free agency pickups and managing the salary cap with each of the players they sign. These factors are what Eberflus attributes to the increased level of competition he expects to see in training camp. “We’ve acquired and drafted well over the last few years, and our roster is better now. So, there’s more competition, and we welcome that, and we have to evaluate the number as coaches,” Eberflus said. “Don’t look at the person and the personality. Look at what he’s doing on the grass, and that, to me, is going to be so important (in) how we evaluate that and really get our depth set because we know we’re going to need everybody on the roster during the course of the year. (We’ve) got to develop those guys as we go.” The first round of the 2024 NFL Draft may go down in history for the Chicago Bears, drafting quarterback Caleb Williams No. 1 overall and elite receiver Rome Odunze No. 9 overall. Williams has already been declared the starting quarterback for the Bears, something that was not a surprise. Going into training camp, Eberflus and the rest of the coaching staff are seeking to see continued improvement from Williams to prepare him for the season. “We’re looking for improvement … from the first practice to the fourth practice. We’ll take a day off, and then we’ll assess where he is. Then, we’re going to do the same thing again for the next stack of practices,” Eberflus said. “Concepts were there in the summer, did a nice job learning those formations, motions, everything that we ask him to do and he’s going to level up from there and keep doing that during camp.” One debate with every quarterback, but especially a rookie quarterback, is whether to start them in the preseason and now many snaps they should play. Eberflus has already been clear that Williams will play in the preseason because that time will help him in his development. Currently, they are looking at a range of 45 to 55 snaps over the course of Chicago’s four preseason games, including the Hall of Fame game on Thurs. Aug. 1 (7 p.m./ABC). “There’s value in really all the reps when you think about it because he’s going to be going against the one defense,” Eberflus said. “In preseason games, you don’t get all the looks sometimes that you would get during practice. So, I think there’s equal value in going against the ones every single day and also getting some of those preseason reps as well.” For wide receiver Rome Odunze, he was drafted into a deep wide receiver room with elite veterans Keenan Allen and DJ Moore. Training camp will be important for the talented receiver to keep learning the offense and become a key part of Chicago’s offense once the season starts. Eberflus highlighted the key points for Odunze are to “keep learning” and to get “exposure” and “experience.” “Just keep learning and getting the exposure and the experience. That goes (from) one-on-ones, seven-on-seven, our team drills. When we do our Cincinnati practice, that’s going to be really good to see him go against different skill sets there and he’s just got to compete and do exactly what he did in college,” Eberflus said. “He’s got to understand it’s a little bit different up here because the guys are a little bit tighter on you. They’re a little bit better and it’s going to be more elite in terms of the competition. He’s just got to get used to that. Once he gets used to that, he’s going to be fine.” Odunze will unquestionably play some snaps during the preseason, offering Bears fans their first glimpse at their top-10 receiver. However, Eberflus did not indicate how many snaps they are potentially looking at for Odunze. Nonetheless, it is important for him to get reps against other defenses like the Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs, to prepare him for Chicago’s season opener on Sun. Sept. 8 against the Tennessee Titans (Noon / FOX). So, it would not be a surprise to see Odunze play around the same number of snaps as Williams.
