Chicago Bears Training Camp Notebook Day 13: Matt Eberflus sends a message to Nate Davis

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — As the Chicago Bears were stretching before the start of Tuesday’s non-padded practice at Halas Hall, the tornado sirens went off, as they always do on the first Tuesday of every month.

Most people in the Midwest know about this, but rookie wide receiver Rome Odunze looked concerned as the sirens kept going. He was later reassured those sirens were just protocol and continued warming up for the practice ahead.

The tornado sirens are going off right now because it's the first Tuesday of the month.

Rome Odunze was like, "What is that?" 😂

— Nicholas Moreano (@NicholasMoreano) August 6, 2024

Concerned, though, would be a fair way to describe that state of the Bears’ offense line. The 13th day of training camp was yet another day where the full starting unit was unable to participate during the 11-on-11 portion of practice.

“O-line depth you guys can see and there’s a little talk about that in terms of, you know, really from the coaches and where we are with that … so we’re just really working the combinations there,” Bears coach Matt Eberflus said. “You saw before the break we had [Ryan] Bates at center and now we have Coleman [Shelton] at center and variations at guard. So, that’s really what we’re doing. We’re just trying to find development in terms of those positions and depth and also find the formula for success there in terms of the first game. We’re not there yet. We’re in the middle of camp. Just what we’re doing in regards to that.”

Teven Jenkins returned after leaving early in last Sunday’s padded practice. The Bears did have an off day on Monday, and Jenkins returned to the field and participated from start to finish on Tuesday. Darnell Wright also participated throughout the practice. Larry Borom did fill in for him during a team series, but Wright looked to be trending in the right direction. Nate Davis started practice with the first-team unit at right guard during the walk-through period, but didn’t participate during any of the 11-on-11 portions of practice. During individual drills, Davis rode the stationary bike.

This has been the theme for the Bears’ three-year, $30 million free agent signing — consistently not able to practice. Eberflus stated Davis would be the starting right guard back in June, but his tune has changed given Davis’ inconsistent availability on the football field.

“Certainly you have to look at all those things,” Eberflus said. “If a person’s out for an extended period of time and the player that’s in that position is playing very well at a starter level and doing a good job there, then you create the competition. You say, hey, there’s a competition. People say you can’t lose a job because of injury. I don’t think that’s true. I think if the guy that’s playing there gives our team a good look and a good benefit for him being in that position, then it’s a competition. Or the other guy could take it over. That’s not just at guard. That’s at all positions.”

Ryan Bates has filled in at right guard when Davis has missed practice. Remember, Bates was someone general manager Ryan Poles liked back in 2022 — when he tried to sign him in free agency. In his five-year career, Bates has 843 snaps at right guard — the most of any spot he has played on the line.

Eberflus sent a clear message to Davis on Tuesday afternoon. If he can’t consistently practice, there is a chance Bates will start in Davis’ place, and Coleman Shelton will fill in at center.

Velus Jones Jr. at running back

When the running backs were going through their individual drills on Tuesday, there was a new member who joined the group: Velus Jones Jr. The former third-round draft pick out of Tennessee in 2022 started the day with the running backs and finished with the group.

“You saw Velus Jones at halfback today,” Eberflus said. “That’s a thing we’re going to do during this block. He was welcome to that and we feel that because of the versatility of the talent and the skill sets, that he offers our offense another way to have a weapon back there. Again, hopefully that grows into something and again that’s Shane and the offensive staff just being creative, being able to maximize our talents on our roster. So it’s good to see him back there.”

The “block” Eberflus referenced will last through the Bills game on Saturday. This move allows the staff to evaluate Jones in a way that could potentially maximize his talents. Jones has never been known for his route-running ability, so getting the ball in his hands on a handoff or potential swing pass will benefit him.

Realistically, Jones wasn’t going to see the field much as a wide receiver, especially with DJ Moore, Keenan Allen and Odunze in front of him. But it’s also a tall task to see the field as a running back with D’Andre Swift, Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson manning the top three spots.

This move has no guarantee of working, but credit the Bears for at least trying to get most out of Jones.

Team Period Takeaways

The Bears repped most of their 11-on-11 portions of practice in the low red zone, and the first time the Bears lined up in the team period, the offense committed back-to-back false starts. It’s unclear as to why those pre-snap penalties happened, but that’s how it unfolded to start. There was also a delay of game penalty on that same series from the first-team offense. That drive did end with Caleb Williams finding Khari Blasingame in the flat for a touchdown.

On a different series, Williams connected with Moore in the left portion of the end zone. Williams extended the play and moved to his left and hit Moore as he was approaching the out of bounds line in the end zone. The next play ended with a Cole Kmet score on a two-point conversion off of a shovel pass.

In the situational team period, the offense lined up on their own 30-yard line with 1:30 left on the lock, down 20-17 in the fourth quarter. Williams hit Moore in the middle of the field for a 10-plus yard gain. Gervon Dexter Sr. batted down the next pass, and Swift ran the ball on second down. On third-and-6, Williams had pressure off his left and ran to his right for a first down. Then Williams hit Swift for a short gain in the left flat. The next play was a completion to Gerald Everett in the middle of the field on a slant. The offense clocked the ball on the 30-yard line, and Cairo Santos came out to attempt the 47-yard field goal. The Bears’ kicker put the ball through the uprights to send the game into overtime.

Other Snippets

• Rome Odunze and DeAndre Carter got a lot of reps at punt returner. I know a lot of people have dismissed the idea of Odunze returning punts, but if something were to happen to Carter, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Odunze in that role. The No. 9 overall pick has had a lot of practice reps at punt returner throughout this training camp.
  
• Kyler Gordon, Jaquan Brisker and Tyrique Stevenson all did not participate during the 7-on-7s and team periods of practice. This trend continues for this trio. It’s been a while since we have seen the first-team secondary practice.
  
• Tory Taylor had some big punts in today’s practice. The Bears’ rookie gave Odunze and Carter some good reps as the punt returners.
  
• Patrick Scales hasn’t been seen for at least the last two practices. The Bears did sign long snapper Cameron Lyons on August 4. I don’t think it’s something to be concerned about, but it’s worth monitoring.