What to watch as Bears training camp begins

The wait is finally over. Bears training camp starts Tuesday when veterans report, and then the team holds its first practice Wednesday.

There’s plenty of intrigue surrounding the Bears this year. Ben Johnson will get his first chance to run an NFL training camp as a head coach. There’s also interest in how former No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams looks at quarterback.

Here are some of the top storylines to watch during training camp over the next six weeks leading up to their season-opener against the Vikings on Monday Night Football on Sept. 8.

1. How does Caleb Williams look in the new offense?

A majority of the moves Bears general manager Ryan Poles made this offseason were to make Williams’ life easier. He hired the best available offensive play caller as his head coach, revamped the interior of the offensive line and added more offensive targets with his first few selections in this year’s draft.

Now it’s up to Williams to take a much-needed step forward in his second season.

It will take some time for things to click offensively. Much of the spring practices were spent learning concepts and how Johnson wanted the mechanics of the offense to work. There were plenty of moments when Johnson stopped a play because he didn’t like the way the Bears came out of the huddle.

But fans should look for incremental progress throughout training camp. It will take time for big plays to consistently happen, especially against a talented defense. The process, however, should look smoother and more efficient as the weeks move on.

2. Who wins the left tackle spot?

The biggest position battle of training camp will take place at the starting left tackle spot. Poles traded for guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson and signed center Drew Dalman during the offseason. Darnell Wright will keep his spot at right tackle.

If he’s healthy, returning starter Braxton Jones is expected to get the first chance to defend his spot during training camp. Jones suffered an ankle injury toward the end of last season that required surgery and kept him off the practice field this spring. Johnson said during the offseason that Jones should be set to practice during training camp.

Although Jones has started at the position over the past three seasons since Poles selected him out of Southern Utah in the fifth round of the 2022 draft, the performance has been shaky at times. Opposing defensive ends got past Jones on plenty of rushes last season.

Last year’s third-round pick, Kiran Amegadjie, and this year’s second round pick, Ozzy Trapilo, split snaps at left tackle with the first team during the spring. They’ll compete with Jones for the starting spot. Johnson also left open the possibility of moving Wright to left tackle if the coaching staff doesn’t like what it sees.

3. Is the defensive line creating pressure?

One of the best days of training camp is when players finally put the pads on. After practicing with little contact during the spring, soon they’ll go full speed at the line of scrimmage and see what the team has.

Fans will see how both lines look when the pads come on. That includes whether the defensive line can regroup after failing to create much pressure last season.

Poles attempted to provide reinforcements for defensive end Montez Sweat. He signed defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo and veteran defensive tackle Grady Jarrett during free agency and drafted defensive tackle Shemar Turner in the second round of this year’s draft.

The Bears will get plenty of chances to pressure Williams and the offensive line in new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen’s system. Whether they can consistently create pressure will be interesting to watch.

4. Will Ben Johnson bring a new intensity to training camp?

Johnson’s play-calling ability was one of the reasons he was a top head coaching candidate the past few years. But Johnson also should bring a new energy with him.

That was evident during spring practices. Johnson and his assistants turned up the intensity of practices during the offseason program and held players accountable in different ways during the practices reporters were allowed to watch.

It’s something the players asked for last year during a season that quickly derailed. Different Bears wanted more accountability from the coaching staff when things turned during a 5-12 campaign.