With half of the four-game preseason slate in the books, the Chicago Bears welcome the Cincinnati Bengals this week for a joint practice Thursday at Halas Hall, followed by an exhibition game Saturday at Soldier Field.
Will Caleb Williams, who impressed in his preseason debut last week at Buffalo, get another chance for game reps, or will coach Matt Eberflus sit his starters? Brad Biggs reaches into the weekly Bears mailbag for questions about Williams, bolstering the pass rush and much more.
After Caleb Williams’ first preseason game, I am left to wonder what the endpoint for his development is supposed to look like. Should we be looking for him to eventually develop into a quarterback who can drop back, hit his back foot and get rid of the ball on time to a receiver? Or should we be looking for him to eventually be an improved version of the drop back, hold the ball and wait for someone to come open, “see it, throw it” quarterback that we saw on Saturday? — Tom S., Chicago
It’s impossible to take one tiny snapshot — 20 snaps for the No. 1 pick in his preseason debut — and declare with any confidence or accuracy where the “endpoint” for his development will be. I know everyone wants to rush to judgment, and when I say rush, we’re talking about going 90 mph through a school zone. It’s going to be a busy week for hot-take artists.
Let Williams’ rookie season play out. Look forward to the game each week and another opportunity to see where he stands. I think he has the ability to make the kind of anticipation throws you refer to, and we’ve seen some of that in practice. I also believe he has the ability to be proficient from the pocket.
But there will be peaks and valleys and I highly doubt there will be reason for delirious celebration every time out. I think Williams can become a quarterback who can hit the top of his drop and let the ball rip. I think he can work from his primary read to Nos. 2 and 3 and identify where the ball should go. But it’s going to take time, and one outing, as impressive as it was, won’t provide us with all of the answers to the tests Williams and the rest of the offense have to take.
I don’t think he will have to see it open to throw it, something more quarterbacks than you would imagine lean on. But he’s young and there’s a long way to go. You have to like what you saw first time out though.
Haason Reddick wants out of New York. What are the chances Ryan Poles can make some magic happen and bring him into the fold? Would be great to have one more big move before the start of the season. — Orin, Chicago
We’ve transitioned from signing Yannick Ngakoue off the street to a bigger, bolder move. I don’t see this one happening. The Jets issued a swift and terse reply to Reddick’s trade request, saying that’s not an avenue they will explore. Reddick demanded a trade out of Philadelphia and got one, and because he hasn’t received a new contract in New York, he is holding out and now wants another trade. Some stuff you can’t dream up.
My hunch is the Bears might not be in position to add a player of Reddick’s status either. There are salary-cap ramifications — we’ll get into that as well — and there’s the less-discussed cash budget teams have on an annual basis. Every team sets an operating budget for each season.
The Bears paid cornerback Jaylon Johnson, and that deal included a $20 million signing bonus. The recent DJ Moore extension included a $20 million signing bonus. Caleb Williams announced to great fanfare from teammates on “Hard Knocks” that he got a $25.5 million signing bonus, and fellow first-round pick Rome Odunze received a $13 million signing bonus. That’s north of $78 million just in those four signing bonuses.
For what it’s worth, Spotrac.com ranks the Bears seventh in the league in active cash total for this season — not cap — at just more than $306 million. That’s more than $27 million above the NFL average, so it’s not like Poles is hiding the McCaskey checkbook in the top drawer of his desk.
Reddick has one year remaining on his contract at $14.25 million, and it isn’t guaranteed. He’s surely seeking a new contract that places him among the top-paid edge rushers in the league. There’s obviously a canyon between Reddick and the Jets right now. From a practical and roster-building standpoint, do the Bears really want to have two edge rushers near the top of the NFL in pay structure? That could account for roughly 20% of their salary cap and would affect their ability to do other things in the future, when a slew of younger players will be eligible for new contracts.
Roster and cap management aren’t a year-to-year proposition. The team understands the ramifications both in the present and for 2025, 2026 and beyond. The Bears have a core in place and will be able to add to that as they choose, but this is where the salary cap becomes real, even though the numbers always can be moved around. If your roster of “core” players gets too big — the ones locked down with huge contracts — eventually you have a roster full of highly paid superstars (and you better hope they’re all playing to the level of their contracts) and the rest is players earning the league minimum.
Reddick has been very durable and consistent in his career with 50½ sacks and 83 quarterback hits over the last four seasons. He turns 30 next month. Any team paying him will be doing so for future performance, not past production. How long will he remain a regular sack artist coming off the edge?
The Jets traded a conditional 2026 third-round pick to the Eagles for Reddick. That pick improves to a second-rounder if he reaches 10 sacks and is on the field for 67.5% of the team’s defensive snaps. I’d think the Jets would want something like that in return. Again, Jets GM Joe Douglas has said he’s not moving Reddick. But it’s the contract, not the trade compensation, that would make this one tricky.
Poles has been very calculated when it comes to aggressive moves, and he made a hard push for Montez Sweat at last year’s trade deadline to improve the team’s pass rush. A similar move here would strike me as a bit of a desperation play. Is 2024 the season for Poles to go all-in?
What about fifth-round draft pick Austin Booker, who has had a nice start to camp and preseason? Is Booker going to be Reddick? I’d be stunned if he’s that impactful this season, but sometimes you have to get young players on the field and allow them to develop. The Bears are paying defensive end DeMarcus Walker $8 million this season. They have options. As is sometimes the case, folks yelling for the Bears to make a move like this don’t consider all of the pieces on the chessboard.
I’ll add one other nugget here: Eagles GM Howie Roseman is as good as there is in the league. He’s a shrewd operator and usually on point when he moves on from a player. I’m not suggesting Reddick is due for an immediate decline, but when Roseman makes a move, people pay extra attention because of his track record for success and winning deals.
Will starters play on Saturday with the Bengals not playing theirs? — @tommy_d111
That’s a great question, and we won’t hear from Matt Eberflus until Thursday, when I would expect he’ll have an answer. Bengals coach Zac Taylor already announced he doesn’t expect to play first-teamers Saturday at Soldier Field. Is there value in the Bears getting some playing time for Caleb Williams and other starters? Sure. But it would be more valuable if you saw the Bears starters against the Bengals starters.
My hunch is the Bears will hold out their starters — or the vast majority of them — and say the joint practice Thursday is a very valuable exercise. If that’s the case, the next question is what will happen Aug. 22 in the preseason finale at Kansas City? Will starters play in that game? In last summer’s final exhibition, offensive starters played anywhere from 13 snaps (Justin Fields) to 17 (offensive linemen) and defensive starters such as linebacker T.J. Edwards got as many as 21 snaps. It’s possible Eberflus will choose a similar approach this year.
The players who have helped and hurt their stock the most thus far are? — @rradulski
A bunch of players have had good camps, and this will by no means be a complete list. Second-year wide receiver Tyler Scott has been making plays. Playing time will be challenging for him, but he has been a positive. Surely you’ve read about defensive tackle Gervon Dexter’s slimmer physique and how he’s more comfortable in the scheme. Rookie defensive end Austin Booker has impressed.
Offensive lineman Ryan Bates has shown the Bears what they were hoping to get two years ago when they originally tried to acquire him. Cornerback Terell Smith has had a nice camp and the team seems pretty comfortable with him as the first guy off the bench on the outside. I’d add undrafted rookie linebacker Carl Jones Jr. to the list too. Don’t know if he makes the roster, but he has impressed and folks have taken notice.
In terms of guys not moving the needle in the right direction, that’s mostly players who have missed time because of injuries. Remember, former Bears coach John Fox used to say a player’s greatest ability is availability. So right guard Nate Davis and defensive end Jacob Martin — who I thought flashed a little before suffering what looked like a foot injury in the first practice with full pads — have some ground to make up. Also, guard Ja’Tyre Carter seems to be running with the third team now.
As well as the D-line did against the Bills backups, I saw very little push in passing downs by them against their starting O-line. I’m no expert, but doesn’t this still have to be of real concern to Ryan Poles? — Marc B., Nashville, Tenn.
The Bears have to be pretty happy overall coming out of a game with eight sacks: two against Mitch Trubisky and six against Shane Buechele. Middle linebacker Tremaine Edmunds batted down a Josh Allen pass, and Montez Sweat didn’t play as he has missed a week with a minor arm injury. Fielding questions about a lack of pass rush wasn’t something I expected this week.
You’re right. You’d love to have seen them bring down Allen a few times, but he wasn’t out there very long, playing only eight snaps and attempting only three passes. Austin Booker did get some nice rushes against Pro Bowl left tackle Dion Dawkins, who stayed in for the start of Trubisky’s playing time. There are still fair questions about the pass rush as a whole after Sweat, but Booker has had a really nice training camp and Daniel Hardy played well. Both young players had 2½ sacks.
Can Booker produce against starting offensive tackles in the regular season? We don’t know yet. Can Hardy find a spot on the roster? That’s another question that remains to be answered.
I think the Bears are doing the right thing in getting extended looks at their younger players. As I wrote in the first week of training camp, I am skeptical the solution is an unemployed player. If the Bears did sign free agent Yannick Ngakoue, wouldn’t they still have questions about their pass rush? Based on how Ngakoue played last season, I’d say yes.
I’ll invoke the old Jerry Angelo adage here: “Don’t confuse activity with achievement.” Let’s allow things to play out with the younger players and understand that if defensive tackle Gervon Dexter is more consistent this season, the pass rush should be improved.
What is your take on the roles of Cole Kmet and Gerald Everett on this team? Some people seem to be overreacting to how much Everett played and his past relationship with offensive coordinator Shane Waldron and saying things like Everett will be TE1. — @oriyune
I haven’t seen any of that chatter. I think Kmet is clearly the team’s top all-around player at the position. If everyone is healthy all season, I would expect Kmet to have more snaps than Everett. He has more versatility. He’s a better run blocker.
The addition of Everett gives Waldron more options and flexibility. I think some teams vastly underuse 12 personnel: one running back, two wide receivers and two tight ends. There’s no tell for the defense when you have that kind of package on the field, and with the Bears wide receivers and Kmet and Everett, how will the defense react? Base defense? Throw the ball. Nickel? Run the ball.
I think both tight ends will be pretty productive in the passing game, too, comfortable targets for Caleb Williams in the middle of the field, especially when opponents are in two-high shells to honor the talent on the outside. Everett can do a few different things at tight end too. He can function as an H-back. He’s good on screens and in space. He’ll be an interesting matchup piece, but Kmet has been super durable and plays at a high level.
Is it becoming more and more likely Nate Davis will be a backup even when he’s healthy given his consistent inability to stay on the field? — @jtbarczak
Bears guard Nate Davis runs off the field after warming up for a game against the Lions at Ford Field in Detroit on Nov. 19, 2023. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
I wouldn’t go there quite yet. We’re still a long way from the start of the season on Sept. 8. That’s 25 days, and the first thing Davis needs to do is get back on the practice field and stay there. He participated in a good portion of Tuesday’s practice, including some team drills. The practice was in shells and we’ll have to see how he responds. He has been dealing with a groin injury.
The Bears want to get to the first game with the best possible line on the field. The more time Davis misses, the more difficult it will be for him to claim the starting right guard job. That being said, there’s also no reason whatsoever for the team to feel like it has to make a decision soon, and if Davis can stay on the field the rest of this week, he’ll have an opportunity to lock down the job. The plot twist here is Ryan Bates was held out of practice Tuesday and we don’t know his status, although there’s no reason to believe it’s anything serious.
Let things play out. If Davis is back, the Bears can continue to evaluate Bates and Coleman Shelton at center. Reality is they’re highly unlikely to have all five starting offensive linemen start all 17 games. So they probably will have to count on Davis at some point this season, whether he’s starting Week 1 or not. The first thing he has to do is get his body right and, as you said, stay on the field.
What do you see as this team’s biggest potential weakness going into the season? My biggest concern is the pass rush. So much rides on Montez Sweat. If he struggles or misses time, things could really unravel. — @publiuscoscaf
There are a lot of unknowns for what remains a relatively young team. The biggest question mark — I’m not calling it a weakness, but you better believe it’s a question — is quarterback. How will Caleb Williams fare when the season begins? What is the developmental process like for him? That’s a huge question. The Bears believe he will be good — soon — and trending toward very good. They have a lot of confidence in him, but you never know how a rookie quarterback will handle regular-season action.
The offensive line has legitimate question marks. As I wrote in 10 thoughts coming out of the game at Buffalo, Ross Tucker believes the Bears have an up-and-coming group in the trenches. A lot could go right there, or we could see familiar struggles.
The pass rush hinges on Sweat, no question. I don’t think he will “struggle.” Will he dominate every week? No. Teams will scheme to keep him in check. If he gets hurt, that’s a problem, but find me a team that has a war horse behind an elite pass rusher. Those are really difficult to locate.
I’d say the most questions right now surround the offensive line and pass rush. Are they potential weaknesses? That’s your word, not mine. But they are areas with ample questions.
This year feels like the Bears have actually built up some depth and may have to cut some talented players. Do you see any real stressful cuts this time around? — @mosconml
It’s going to be more challenging than it was the last two summers when the Bears have to cut the roster to 53 players on Aug. 27. It would have been easy to cut to 50 players last year and 45 the year before. The team didn’t have enough quality players, so you knew there would be a great deal of activity on the waiver wire after cuts. I’d expect a move or two in waivers this year but not a handful of them. The Bears always will have their eye out at every position: “Can that player make us better?”
Front-office folks and coaches always tell you how difficult the cuts are. That’s a bit of a cliche. They’ve been evaluating these players on an almost daily basis since April. It’s not a project they begin in the third week of August. Some players are moving up and some are moving down every week. They tell you it’s difficult out of respect for the process and all of the hard work the players are putting in.
Will there be a tough conversation or two at the end? Sure. They will weigh the pros and cons of an extra safety or an extra defensive lineman, something like that. Will they cut a few players who catch on elsewhere? For sure. The depth is improved, and that’s one reason there’s more optimism at Halas Hall.
There has been trade rumors about Khalil Herbert. How valid are they? Personally, I think he’s a very good running back and I think now is a bad time to get rid of a player like him. — @jojopuppyfish
I’ve gotten questions for a couple weeks about the possibility of trading Herbert. I haven’t heard or seen the rumors, and with respect to Herbert, I’m not sure he has great trade value. Teams always can find a running back to plug in, and what does the depth look like behind D’Andre Swift if the Bears release him or trade him? Roschon Johnson was out injured this past week and did not practice Tuesday. Now what? If the answer is turn to undrafted rookie Ian Wheeler, who did well in the second half at Buffalo, OK.
But I think Herbert adds some value to the Bears. He’s not great in the passing game, and that’s one thing that limits his value a little bit. He has averaged an impressive 4.9 yards per carry in his career. He did really well in 2022 in yards after contact. I think there’s a better chance he makes the roster than gets traded, and in a trade scenario, you might be looking at a pick swap as a best-case scenario.
