Winners, concerns, question marks from Bears training camp

Training camp is over and it’s time for the regular season. The Bears cut down their roster to 53 players Tuesday and held their final camp practice Wednesday.

There was a lot of hype heading into new head coach Ben Johnson’s first camp. Many were interested to see how the team looked under the new coaching staff, especially quarterback Caleb Williams. Now the team will focus on its season-opener against the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 8 at Soldier Field.

But there was a lot learned over the six weeks of training camp. Some questions were answered while some remain in flux a little over a week before the season starts.

Biggest winner: Ben Johnson

One thing was certain of Johnson when the Bears managed to hire one of the most-sought-after head coach candidates over the past few offseasons: He knew how to coach a dynamic offense in the NFL. But there were questions about how Johnson would handle the transition of becoming a head coach and managing an entire team.

An offseason program and training camp later, Johnson proved he has full control of the team and the Bears have bought into his style.

Johnson and his coaching staff set the tone early during the spring when they emphasized the importance of the details in everything that they do. They also showed if those standards aren’t met, the players are going to hear about it.

That continued into training camp. Whether Johnson stopped plays because he didn’t like the way the offense came out of a huddle or a coach yelled at a player for not doing exactly what was expected, Johnson has proven he’s ready for the challenge of being a head coach and his team has his back.

“He’s such a passionate guy,” veteran left guard Joe Thuney said. “So much energy, so much enthusiasm for this game and he’s so smart about this game and he communicates so well of what he wants us to accomplish and how he wants us to approach certain plays. It’s been great just learning day by day in this camp.”

Most improved: Rome Odunze

When the Bears drafted Williams with the No. 1 overall pick last year, wide receiver Rome Odunze sort of got lost in the shuffle after the team selected him at No. 9. It played out that way on the field too last season, where Odunze got lost in the shuffle as the season progressed.

But it’s unlikely to happen again this season.

Odunze put on more upper body muscle in the offseason and proved during the spring and in camp that he should be Williams’ top wide receiver target. He made impressive, contested catches during camp and continued to hone his already strong route-running skills.

Bears coaches project Odunze as a prototypical X receiver to put outside the numbers and go up for 50-50 balls because of his large frame. But assistant head coach and wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El said Odunze has proven he can be a versatile weapon at the Z spot or even in the backfield.

“He’s a guy that you can move around,” Randle El said. “I think he’s going to have a big year.”

Most concerning: Secondary injuries

When camp started six weeks ago, the Bears’ secondary, primarily the cornerback position, was one of the deepest groups on the roster. As camp ended Wednesday, it might be the one most in flux.

The Bears started camp with a surprise injury to cornerback Jaylon Johnson. Bears general manager Ryan Poles announced at the time that Johnson injured his leg away from the team over the summer and he’d be away for a few weeks. Johnson never practiced with the team during camp and he still doesn’t have a return date.

The group added more injuries when slot cornerback Kyler Gordon suffered a hamstring injury and backup cornerback Terell Smith suffered a season-ending knee injury in a game against the Buffalo Bills. Gordon returned to team activities at practice this week but starting safety Jaquan Brisker left Wednesday’s practice.

Tyrique Stevenson and Nahshon Wright showed they can play the position well for most of camp as they battled for the No. 2 cornerback spot. But concerns arose when Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs made easy work of the secondary in their preseason finale.

The Bears will need more clarity about their injuries in the secondary to get a better picture of what this group can do.

Biggest question mark: Left tackle

The biggest position battle at the start of camp was for the starting left tackle spot. Six weeks later, there’s still no answer as to who won the job.

Returning starter Braxton Jones, former third-round pick Kiran Amegadjie and rookie Ozzy Trapilo started camp as the trio battling for the spot. Bears coaches moved Trapilo to work at right tackle midway through camp and inserted former undrafted free agent Theo Benedet into the mix.

But Ben Johnson wouldn’t name a starter when asked Tuesday. He told reporters the team will have a starting left tackle against the Vikings and he liked the players they have in the room. But the competition could continue into the season.

Jones is likely to start against the Vikings after he started all three preseason games and exclusively worked with the first team at practice over the past two weeks.

At the start of camp, Ben Johnson said he wanted to make a decision at the spot so the whole offensive line could build a rapport with each other. A little over a week before the season, that hasn’t gone according to plan.

Biggest surprise: Olamide Zaccheaus

There wasn’t much buzz when the Bears signed wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus during free agency in March. But in almost every practice since camp started, Zaccheaus has proven he could be a weapon for Williams.

Zaccheaus did so by learning what everyone does on every play to be ready for whatever his role is. The Bears have moved Zaccheaus to different wide receiver spots and even handed him the ball in the backfield. Williams rewarded Zaccheaus’ work by finding him no matter where he is on the field.

Defenses will have to focus on a lot of Bears targets like Odunze, receivers DJ Moore and Luther Burden III and tight ends Cole Kmet and Colston Loveland. When they do, Zaccheaus could fall under the radar and become a surprise this year.

“That’s my guy on and off the field,” Williams said. “I think on-the-field wise, what you all see mostly, but I think after practices, being able to get extra reps with him. Even if it’s not maybe physical reps, it’s mental reps of him and I just having open communication that I’ve talked about before with the wide receivers and where I expect him to be, how he runs this and all of that. I think it shows.”