4 key observations from Bears voluntary minicamp

The Bears wrapped up voluntary minicamp Thursday with one final practice ahead of next week's NFL draft. The three-day camp was optional for players, but the vast majority of the veterans on the roster participated.

April football is a long way from Week 1 in September. Even so, there is much to be learned from these sessions, especially when the Bears have new leadership in general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus.

Here are the major take-aways from this week.

Offense is a work in progress

It's OK if the offense is still working out the kinks. That's to be expected in April.

The passing game had a mediocre day during 7-on-7s on Thursday. Bears fans shouldn't read into that. Quarterback Justin Fields was working with a largely new cast of characters at wide receiver. Plus, the team only just began installing the offense two days earlier.

An NFL offense is a highly choreographed dance routine, and the Bears are only learning the first steps.

"I talked to them after practice, my main message was this," Eberflus said Thursday. "The in-vogue term now is 'growth mindset.' Right? Everybody says that. Well, what does that mean? That means that I'm going to learn from my performance, good, bad or indifferent, I'm going to take one rep at a time and learn from it."

The offense will remain a work in progress throughout the spring. Next week's draft will be huge. It's possible the Bears add starter-caliber players at receiver or on the offensive line. Judging this offense now would be no different from judging a book by its cover.

Young tackles, hole at guard

Second-year offensive tackles Larry Borom and Teven Jenkins have the first crack at the tackle positions. That's significant. Borom played left tackle all week, while Jenkins played right tackle.

Borom, a fifth-round draft pick last year, appeared in 10 games as a rookie and made eight starts. Jenkins, a second-round pick, missed most of the season after having back surgery in August. He appeared in six games, making two starts.

Even if the Bears add linemen in the draft, Borom and Jenkins are going to get a long look at the starting tackle jobs.

"That's significant for everybody," Eberflus said. "If you're getting the first (string) spots in terms of the reps, I think that's really good. They're getting all that teaching from (offensive line coach Chris Morgan), they're getting all those looks right now."

Last year's starting center Sam Mustipher and free agent guard Dakota Dozier split time at right guard. Dozier started at guard during 2020 with Minnesota and was demoted in 2021. Mustipher has only ever played center. Poles probably isn't satisfied with the idea of either of them being the starting guard.

That should say something about what the Bears might do in next week's draft.

Jackson looks to rebound

Starting safety Eddie Jackson called his 2021 season "one of my worst seasons."

"I gave up too many deep balls," Jackson said. "Just trying to eliminate that. The little things with your eyes, breaking on the ball, attention to details. Little things, little fixes that you could make."

A change in scheme could be huge for Jackson. With Eberflus bringing his 4-3 defensive scheme to Chicago, Jackson said the system has been simpler. He has less information to process.

"You just see what's in front of you and play," Jackson said.

Even without Khalil Mack and Akiem Hicks, there's reason to be optimistic that this Bears defense could at least keep the team close in games next season. But that is predicated on an improvement in the secondary. Jackson needs to return to his Pro Bowl form of 2018 and 2019.

Eberflus believes this is a clean slate for Jackson.

"I can see it in his attitude and his demeanor," Eberflus said. "I could see it in his eyes when I talk to him that he is energized and he sees it as a fresh start for him. I can see it in his practice, too, just the way he's carrying himself."

Focus on the football

Eberflus' defense is all about the football. The Bears want to create turnovers. Turnovers can come down to luck, but sometimes a team can make its own luck.

"They expect a lot out of every player on this defense, and the main thing is running to the ball," pass rusher Trevis Gipson said.

The Bears pass rushers and defensive linemen worked this week with a tackling dummy that had a football taped near the top, similar to a quarterback rearing to throw with the ball by his ear. They worked on attacking the football, and extending their arms toward the ball, not just tackling the QB for a sack.

"You'll miss those strip-sacks by just inches at times," Eberflus said. "And we say 'run-run-reach,' and reach is to reach as far as you can because when people say 'reach that far,' you can reach even farther."

Eberflus' defenses finished in the top 10 or tied for 10th in turnovers during each of his four seasons as the defensive coordinator in Indianapolis.