Hosts Zack Pearson and Aaron Leming preview training camp for the Chicago Bears in 2024.
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Bear Report Radio Podcast: Chicago Bears
Bear Report Podcast [2024-19] Chicago Bears Training Camp Preview 2024
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That's indeed.com/bluewire. Terms and conditions apply. Need to hire? You need Indeed. The Chicago Bears officially report to Training Camp on Friday afternoon with rookies already there, and it is that time of year as Training Camp is underway and exciting off-season for Chicago Bears, and a lot of hype going into Training Camp. We're going to preview all of that at the top story lines, what you need to know about Training Camp on a house haul. As the next month and a half, we fill the Bears football right before the regular season begins. We'll discuss that all that on the Bear Report podcast right now. This is the Bear Report podcast with Zach Pearson, Zach Pearson, and Aaron Lemme. Aaron Lemme, providing extensive coverage of the Chicago Bears. Presented by Blue Wire Pods. And now, here are your hosts Zach Pearson and Aaron Lemme. And welcome in Bears fans to the Bear Report podcast. I'm your host Zach Pearson. As you heard in the intro, Training Camp is here. Myself and my colleagues Aaron Lemme are going to break everything down from the house haul, what you need to know, the biggest story lines, and what the Bears, you know, what should we expect from the Bears over this past or over this next, excuse me, next month. And we're just getting closer and closer to football. First off, Aaron, let's bring you in and how you doing, man. Now that football is kind of officially here. Yeah, I don't know about you, because I know you kind of took a similar break to me, but I'm like finally starting to kind of gear back up and lock in just a little bit. So yeah, it feels good. I mean, it's kind of crazy to think that come Saturday, practice to start happening. And, you know, before we know it, because we're recording this on a Wednesday, so we're just over two weeks away from the whole Fame game. And so yeah, I mean, it's good. It was good for a break like we talked about last week, but it's kind of good to get back in the mix of everything. It's good that there's no drama despite certain people, cough, cough, Mike Florio trying to create drama this morning with Caleb Williamson that I'm sure we'll get into. But so far, so good, man. There's one roster spot left. I would guess that at some point in time, they're going to fill that with an edge rusher. So I think we have still some interesting times ahead. I guess we'll just see what happens. Well, let's get right into that, because we saw him Tuesday when rookies reported, you know, going into that day, it was Roman Dunes and Caleb Williams were the only two as part of the 2024 rookie class not to be signed just yet. Two first rounders, obviously, Williams go number one overall, and Rome going number nine overall. We saw Rome get his deal done. Everything looked good. You know, Caleb's deal was agreed to, not officially signed them Tuesday, but agreed to. The Bears did not announce that. And then there was kind of butterings that, you know, there was a hold up through to some language and Williams's camp kind of making the request that he, you know, doesn't want a franchise tag, which is not going to be realistic on a rookie contract. Just kind of put in that request. But overall, you know, he gets done. It just kind of won official, what, 15, 20 minutes before we started recording this, Caleb Williams was signed, Roman Dunes they signed, the entire 2024 draft class is signed. And it's game time. And I think you, you know, probably sure the same agreement in me is there was no need to panic over any of this. They both were going to get done. They both were going to be at camp. And we'll see them out there Saturday in the practice field. Yeah, I mean, I just, and I tweeted out a few days ago, and I know somebody was like, well, it's easy to say that after all the insiders are saying there was no concern. But it's like, there's just, it's, it's not a concern, man. I mean, like, yeah, every once in a while, like small little hold outs happen, whatever. But it's like, I mean, a lot of this is slotted. So, you know, and I think basically what we've learned, and this is kind of something I tweeted out too, is all the noise that we heard about Caleb Williams, all the stuff about how he was going to be a distraction, how he was going to want equity in a team, how, you know, his dad was going to take over and be this huge problem and all this stuff. It's like, none of that has been true. I think really what we've learned so far within this process, and it's just getting started. But what we've learned so far is the fact that he's ready to play football. He's here to play football. He is here to be one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game. Now, whether or not that happens, obviously, it'll be a while before we know. But it's just, it feels like Bears fans are still so used to the days of Cliff Stein. And it's first tenure with the Bears when the Bears were literally just getting their entire drop fast down in like three days. And it's like, yeah, I wish that was still the case. But it's not. And I think that, you know, especially for the number one overall pick, and I think people all you got to do is go back to last year, like Bryce Young took it down to the last second, you know, there's still five unsigned first round picks left in this year's class, two of them with Minnesota, including JJ McCarthy. So it's not uncommon for this kind of thing to happen, to drag out, you know, but ultimately what it comes down to is that it got done. Roma Dunes Day is under contract. Caleb Williams is under contract, you know, Veterans Report Friday, and their first practice is Saturday. And outside of that one roster spot, there's not a whole lot of drama. I mean, there's a lot of optimism. I think it's justified optimism, not to say that again, they're going to, you know, go to the Super Bowl this year by any means. But I think that fans should feel good about the direction of this team right now. And I think especially after the offseason that they had and having two first round picks, both of those in the top 10, like, there's just no real reason to go into this, this, you know, this training camp, preseason season with any sort of angst, like this should be excitement at this point. Yeah, and there really shouldn't have been any panic ranks, you know, even with the stuff this morning from Mike Florio, you know, being on the 670 score here in Chicago and Bernstein Home Show. It's just, you know, it was kind of hoverblown. And we kind of figured that, you know, Caleb Williams would get his deal done. There's been no red flags, as you see, you know, we've heard the red flag thing all off season. It's been proven false time after time again. And then it comes back with more quote unquote red flag. So it's just, to me, it feels like it's something that's just never going to end. No matter what he does, no matter where he does on the field, off the field, there's always going to be those quote unquote people that want the red flags and kind of make a narrative and it just keeps getting shot down. But now bears have the roster sign. They have one open roster spot that are heading into training camp relatively healthy, barring some surprises. Obviously one of the big ones will be, you know, rookie carry on amount of J with, you know, the, the knee issue, I believe it is. Going into camp, he missed all of, you know, OTAs and mini camp. And the bears said they hope he's ready for training camp, but we haven't really heard anything on that yet. Well, here's something Friday, I'm guessing will be one of the questions to ask. But all in all, it feels good to kind of get this football back. It feels good, you know, the excitement and the hype around the bears. This is going to be a fun next month and a half. And like you said, we're two weeks away from the Hall of Fame game, whether Caleb Williams and some starters play or not, likely not, to be determined still. But then it's go time, you know, they got three more preseason games after that. And before you know it, man, it's going to be first week of September. We're going to get enough for football. And as we talked on the last episode, the hype around the scene is crazy. It's probably at the highest has been in a long time, judging by how fast training camp tickets sold out. Everyone's ready to get to House Hall and watch them practice and the storylines are going to come over the next month. Well, and I don't know about you, but I've been watching, and I usually don't, but I've actually been watching the Hard Knocks stuff with the Giants and the Giants. Very good, man. I'm very impressed with it. And it just kind of gets you like regardless of, because here's the thing, like, it's going to be tough to be objective, I think, when it comes to the Bears Hard Knocks, you know, here in the next few weeks, I think four fans, and even for media, like, it brings on a whole new level of coverage, right? Because it's like, we get to watch these episodes every, I think it's Tuesday night, right? Does that sound right to you? Maybe? Yeah, it's a Tuesday night. Yeah, so it's like, we get to watch these episodes every Tuesday night. So it, not only are we going to have, you know, Caleb Williams watch, and Roma Dunes, they watch, and like, just the typical training camp stuff and the preseason stuff, but there's going to be a whole nother layer to this with Hard Knocks. And like I said, I think even if you're cautiously optimistic at this point, even if you're saying, hey, if they win nine games ago or 500 this year, that's a good year, like, I still think there's plenty of reasons to be excited. And, you know, this is a roster that Ryan Polls has talked about being, you know, more complete, more competitive than in years past, which, frankly, if you go back to his first year, it's not hard to have a more competitive roster than that roster. But I do think that there are going to be some camp battles to watch. I do think that there are going to be some roster spots, you know, up for grabs. And obviously, that may change a little bit over the next few days. Usually, at least the first two years, Ryan Polls has always made some moves either right before training camp or right as training camp has started. I would think that the open roster spot that they've had for two months now is an intentional thing. I mean, not to say that you can't cut somebody else and make room, but it seems like an intentional thing. So I do think that we can expect at least a signing. I would guess that that would be a defensive lineman over the next few days. And I know you probably agree with this. I fully expect it to be iconic and God way. I think that that probably makes the most sense at this point in time. But at the same time, I mean, there are many other storylines to kind of pay attention to. And, you know, there are going to be some guys kind of like last year with the Larry Warren that are probably going to be on the roster bubble. I don't really think that there are any starting jobs up for grabs per se, but it's definitely going to be an interesting training camp to kind of see how it all comes together. We're driven by the search for better. But when it comes to hiring, the best way to search for a candidate isn't to search at all. Don't search match with Indeed. 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Yeah, you know, I would agree with that as the probably signing that the bears will make if it is anyone before trading camp or right after, you know, trading camp starts. It just kind of makes the most sense just because they need, you know, some more help on the edge and for a past Russia. So I don't really expect many surprises. You know, I do think there are probably some intriguing battles, you know, not really for starting spots, but we would get pieces back up jobs, you know, left of the roster. I think one fascinating aspect of this that I would kind of recommend, you know, fans going out to House Hall. Yes, pilgrims, the officers and, you know, the defensive battles are going to get all the attention and rightfully so. I would keep an eye on the special teams because not only do you have Tory Taylor, the punter that I draft in the fourth round is, you know, a weapon to come in, but how this new kickoff rule is being practiced. And, you know, the aspects that kind of go into it, the details that go into it, because I've talked to a couple people kind of around special teams around the league, you know, former coaches and people that played. And no one can really figure out right away, like, okay, how's this going to go? Like, there's really like no right answer. So coming to me seems to like a mystery in terms of how teams are going to deploy their turners, if they'll make a big impact on returns. And I think for the Bears, you know, seeing what they do, because, you know, if they add an extra, you know, return man back then they have the two guys back there, do you have valus and someone like Cleo Herbert, do you put, you know, maybe a blocking tight in there, a fringe guy in the roster, and then where everyone else lines up and in who I mean, who is in those spots? Do you go with, you know, maybe the strategy of having bigger bodies up front to block or maybe getting some speed guys back there in case you want to return it that way, you know, things like that. So I think that's going to be interesting to me. Other than that, you know, like, you know, backup safety roles, you know, how that's going to shake out, in terms of the depth chart, who's giving you the backup defensive backs behind Jill and Johnson, kind of Gordon and Henry Stevens, and I think those are going to be some interesting battles to watch. The running back rotation will be kind of fun for me to watch. But yeah, and then obviously behind, you know, the big three wide receivers, Tyler Scott Emerge is a number four wide receiver. Dante Pettis have a role on this offense. Will it be someone that surprises? I still think there's a lot of good storylines, despite most of the starters are pretty much all of them being, you know, figured out, I guess, you know, we could talk about it. I mean, the starting center job, I mean, that's probably the one that's really up for grabs. And what happens with Nate Davis at right guard? Yeah, I was going to say center and right guard are probably like those two. I think you pretty much have a good idea between three names right now of who those who those guys are going to be. But I thought it was interesting. And the more and more I thought about it, since it's happened, like he refuses like weird answer about Nate Davis being the starting right guard, I thought was kind of interesting. And again, it's tough to gauge because Davis really never has done a whole lot during OTAs and mini camp and all that. But knowing the way that the bears operate, knowing how the bears think, like they put a lot of value into stuff like that. So, you know, you go out, you trade for Ryan Bates, who frankly is probably going to be a better guard than he is a center. Coleman Shelton is more of a natural center. I don't, I'll be honest, I don't know that either one of those guys is going to be any good. I think they may be younger, slightly better versions of what they had in Cody White here in Lucas Patrick last year. But, you know, availability is a big value. And, you know, Nate Davis has struggled to stay healthy throughout seasons. And especially if they have this competition going on and he wasn't there to practice or whatever the case may be, I think that there's definitely some intrigue there. And it's to me, it's not a very positive intrigue because it's one of those things where going into the soft season, obviously quarterback and receiver were two main spots because, I mean, you had to assume at this point that, you know, Justin Fields wasn't going to be the guy. I think we talked a lot about that. And then obviously, Darnell Mooney was going to go elsewhere. I mean, you don't have the last two years that he had Chicago and then statehood. It just doesn't make any sense. So, like, we know that we knew that those were going to be big needs. And then obviously, the defense, they didn't do a ton on the defensive line like I was expecting. But the only other one was kind of that center spot. It's like, you bring in a guy in Ryan Bates who, frankly, when the move happened, my thought was, okay, this guy is going to be competition or he's going to be your swing guard, whatever. And obviously, you know, at least in the early going, kind of seeing like he was going to be the starting center, but then he started taking snaps at right guard. So, it's going to be interesting to kind of see how that plays out. Again, I know Shelton spent the better part of two years starting at center with the Rams. But obviously, the Rams went out and upgraded that spot. So, I mean, that kind of said something to you right there. And then obviously with Ryan Bates, he was a guy that didn't really get on the field last year for Buffalo. So, I don't know, man, like, I get it. But at the same time, like it's one of those, it seems like Ryan Polls has kind of just continued to, you know, rotate options at center and not take it as seriously. And especially when you're not drafting guys, you're not really giving yourself a high chance. If you're not drafting guys and you're not spending big on a free agent, you're not really giving yourself a big chance to find, you know, a top-end starter. So, I think, you know, getting the offensive line squared away is going to be a big thing. Because again, if you go back to watching Caleb Williams, especially at USC this last year, a lot of his biggest, bigger issues was the fact that he would scramble around in the pocket and look to make a throw. It was almost kind of the exact opposite of Justin Fields, where, you know, a lot of people would say, well, Fields didn't see, you know, open receiver within reads one or two, then he was taking off. And it was kind of the exact opposite with Williams, where if he doesn't see his read right out of the gate, he scrambles around and tries to create a place hero. And that's when he tends to fumble the ball a lot of take sacks. So, you, for as good as the receivers are, for as good as the running backs are, for as good as the tight ends are, that interior offensive line, especially for a rookie quarterback, it's going to be, it's going to be important. So, yeah, that's definitely going to be one of those where it's going to be interesting. Like you said, you know, defensive backs as a whole behind the starters. There's some intriguing names, especially at safety. I mean, frankly, like their depth at safety is considerably better than it has been the last few years. And then, you know, running back to, I think, is another one. It's funny. I was doing a podcast last week for a fantasy channel. And they asked me, you know, how I saw the running back thing kind of playing out behind DeAndre Swift, and, you know, could Khalil Herbert, if he loses out in this battle, could he be a guy that ends up being, you know, a trade candidate? And I do think it'll be interesting to see just because, again, you've got DeAndre Swift, who, if you look back at what Shane Waldron's done with running backs, like he's going to have that bell cow running back. He's going to have that guy that takes probably 65, 70 percent of snaps. It's not going to be rotation anymore. And let's just say they would rather go with Rochon Johnson, then all of a sudden you're looking at Khalil Herbert as running back three. It just, it gets a little interesting because Travis Homer has a history with, with Waldron as well. So there are definitely some areas where things are going to be interesting, but I think the only real area where you're talking about like week one impact in terms of starters is probably going to be on the interior offensive line. Oh, I was muted there. Sorry about that. Yeah. And, you know, I think there's a couple key factors with the offensive line and the battle for the center position. You know, Ryan Polls has gone after Ryan Bates twice. Successfully got him this time, you know, had to make a trade for him. And, you know, also signed in Coleman Shelton. I think they're comfortable with Ryan Bates at center. That is if Nate Davis is out there, he's healthy, and he's participating, you know, at right guard. Like you said, I mean, he really doesn't, you know, kind of has that track record of not participating LTA's, mini camps, all that stuff. You can just kind of see that, you know, back his time with, with Tennessee. So, you know, for me, it's not a full panic yet, but if this is continuing into training camp, or he's struggling and move, you know, see someone else getting snaps at right guard with the first team, you know, which is going to happen. I mean, they try to rotate guys in and out on the first team, you know, where there's a couple snaps a day, things like that, just in case. But if it's more and more snaps as practice go on, I think that's, you know, red flag, obviously. And, and send them to kind of monitor and watch because that changes, man, that changes your offensive line, you know, do you put Ryan Bates at guard, then do you put Coleman Shelton at center in the combinations? All kind of change there. So, that's kind of what I'm looking for in that. I personally, I think Nate Davis will be fine. I look at last year. I don't think he was great. I don't think he was really good. I think there were times where he was pretty solid out there and certainly a right guard you could win with. To me, it's still not the weakest position on the offensive line. That's still center. You know, I would rank center as the most important and the weakest right now. And then it'd probably be right guard left tackle is depending, in my opinion, depending on what happens with Nate Davis. And speaking of offensive line, it was just announced that Kieran Amagaji will be going on the non football injury list, which is somewhat maybe to be expected. I don't know. I mean, you were there for OTAs in many camps. I don't really know if he was out there doing anything at all. But I mean, that's just basically that right there is, yeah, that designation right there is just basically saying he had the injury back in October from college. So that's why it's a non football injury. He can be pulled off that list at any time, just kind of like the pup list. Doesn't mean his season's over. Doesn't mean he's gonna miss any portion of the preseason, anything like that. But it's also worth noting because he is coming from Yale. He's a little bit on the raw side. And it sounded like when they drafted him, they expected him to be ready for training camp. And very clearly, he's not. Yeah. And you know, that's not surprising to me. Like you said, I mean, he really wasn't doing anything out there in any of the rookie mini camp, the OTAs, the the voluntary, you know, mandatory, all that stuff. You know, nothing. He was doing nothing. So it was kind of expected. I don't think it was something that keeps him out super long. Maybe I'm wrong. Obviously, we know the Bears knew about this, kind of expected it. And you know, right away here in one, he was projected to probably be in the competition for swing tackle. I don't know if he was going to win or not, but when he's getting him out there and getting him those reps, certainly would have helped. Now, I mean, that's an open competition too. You know, it's still one of those on the offensive line. It kind of feels like the offensive line has three of the biggest storylines right now, you know, going into this training camp. Yeah. Well, and like we talked about earlier with Larry Borham, I mean, depending on how this all goes, I mean, that could could potentially open up the spot for him. Now, obviously, they did sign that prior and Jake Kerhan or I don't know how you say his last name, but those are also options, cheaper options to start at their not start, but be the swing tackle. So that'll be interesting. The other name that got added that on the pup list, out of the rookies, because obviously the rookies are the only ones that have reported and gone through fist bulls and stuff like that, is undrafted free agent, Jamry Kroma. So he is starting the starting camp on pup. I don't know if you have any insight as to whether he was out there, if this is like a new thing or? I don't remember. Honestly, with those undrafted guys, man, it's really hard to kind of keep track of that, especially, but I'd have to look, I don't have a notebook with me, but I don't remember where he was out for multiple days in a row or anything like that. Maybe I'm wrong. Yeah. I mean, there was 89 guys on the roster. So he was, I mean, yeah, I can pull it up as we're talking here on my notebook, but there was a handful of guys on the bikes every single day too. So that's kind of one of those where you might notice me right now. Well, and as we've seen before, I mean, the Bears have done this before, where they placed guys on, like all this means is that they basically have not, they haven't been able to, you know, they haven't been able to pass the physical yet. So it's completely possible that they could pass the physical before Saturday. It's completely possible that they may miss a few days and pass the physical next week. Like it's not, by any means, it's not the end of the world. It's just obviously, as we're doing this, it's worth noting since the rookies have reported. And who knows? I mean, there may be a veteran or two that that starts on that list as well. It just means that other guys are going to get an opportunity out of the gate. Like I said, Larry Borm will have an opportunity, although I still think the pay is going to be the big thing. Unless he takes a pay cut, I don't think they're going to pay him $3.2 million to be the swing casual, but hey, maybe I'm wrong. I would give it worthy for our receiver before they're to fail. Speeding is a rush on the field, in the zone, where it matters. As an athlete, I push my limits to win. But when I get behind the wheel, I know the importance of slowing down for safety. Because speeding is illegal and it endages you, your loved ones, and everyone else on the road. Did you know, speeding accounts for more than one quarter of all traffic-related fatalities nationwide? Just like we need to focus and score touchdowns and win games, we need to be in the zone to stay safe on the road. Speeding is higher in place to protect everyone, no matter what the speed limit is. Anything over is not only illegal but dangerous, like athletes. Drivers must stay alert and present, because there is nowhere to work for speeding. Nothing is safe about it. Driving over to speed limit might seem like the quicker option. Speeding catches up with you. Stay focused. In a split second, everything can change. Paid for by NHTSA. So, nothing on him. I don't know, Chroma. No sitting out on the bike or anything like that, unless I just totally missed him. But I usually double check with other reporters too. So, yeah, I didn't notice multiple days where he wasn't out there, anything like that. So, things happen, man. Unfortunately, this is the time between the mandatory minicamp and, I think it's minicamp, right, because OTAs are the voluntary ones. Well, yeah, because the Bears did a little different this year. They had the last, well, the last voluntary practice was after the mandatory. So, things happen. It is what it is. Not a big deal. I mean, neither one of those guys are projected to start. Obviously, you'd like to have your third round pick at least taking reps ASAP. But at the same time, it's also worth noting that the Bears are going to have an extended ramp up just because they are recording the camp earlier. So, when they have that extra pre-season game. So, even if these guys missed the first pre-season game, it's not the end of the world. It's going to take them, I don't know, did you get, do you have the official practice schedule in front of you in terms of when they're actually going to throw on the pads or have they not announced that yet? So, they don't announce that on the release. Uber Flus will generally say it early in camp. I believe it's what? You have to have five practices, five or six practices before the pads come on. So, yeah, I'm trying to think back last year. I want to say they do five before they did it. I remember, I think it's first year that are penalized to or something like that. That was in the OTAs and everything. They might have taken a day away from the pads or something like that. But yeah, I believe it's like five or six practices before these damn rules change all the time. It's a fluid thing. And then, I guess the only other thing, it's not even Bears related worth noting. I think this is going to be a commonality that we see not really so much with the Bears because they obviously had a limited amount of picks, especially on day three. But the Texans already waved one of their seventh round picks back from April. Lederius Henderson, he was a guard. I don't know what school it came out of. So, that'll be another kind of interesting thing because going back to the draft season, that was one of the talks. This was a very weak class in day three. A lot of teams are kind of unloading those picks because basically the talent pool really dropped off in day three and it was kind of more of a shot in the dark in terms of these late round picks, especially in the sixth and seventh round. So, that'll be kind of interesting to watch too. The only reason I mention that is because I know that the Bears had some interest in Taj Washington, the former USC receiver. That's a pretty good relationship with Caleb Williams. That will be a name that I would say to keep an eye on throughout training camp there in Miami because I think that he's somebody that if he gets cut whether he signs to the Bears practice squad or whether the Bears throw him on as like a late addition onto the 53, he's definitely somebody that I could see the Bears kind of keeping an eye on throughout this process. We'll talk about late round graphics this year. Yeah, so, last year, the Bears first pet of practice was August 2nd. That was a Wednesday. That was the seventh practice. No, the seventh practice total. So, I believe it's six. Yeah, because I started. So, it was the seventh practice that the Bears put on the pads early. Because I'm thinking about this, like I'm just doing the math because we're the 17th right now and if the first practice is Saturday. So, that would be what three, no, it's a week earlier this year. Yeah, no, I know, but I'm just like bear with me here because what I'm thinking of is like, so, if you have your first practice on the 21st, I think the 20th, 21st, whatever, it doesn't really matter. You're going to have a break or two in there. So, by the time you actually get to practicing, let's say it really is six days, they practice for six days straight on the six day. So, the 27th, the first game is what? The second? Like that's, to me, that's kind of one of those things where I'm looking at this, where it's like, well, they have, you talk about safety and yet you're going to let these guys go out and play a preseason football game with less than a week under their belts for the patted practices. Yeah, so they were the other first games the first. Their first practice is the 20th. They have practice 21, 22, 23, that's four practices and off day, 25, 26, 27, that's three practices, 29, 30, 31, that's three more. So, they essentially have 10 practices before their game. And I bet you, I bet you the switch, I bet you would be like day five. They probably got like a special waiver. I'd have to look back to Hall of Fame game last year, because remember Bears Hall of Fame game, then what was it? 2020 was canceled because of COVID. Yeah, and then so we don't. It's been a while. It was, yeah, it was 2017-18, one of those, or the new CBA was in effect. Yeah, so it would be interesting. It will probably be asked to Manny Reflus. I mean, it's an important question because you know, you do have that extra game, man, August 1st. It does, you know, maybe listeners don't want to hear us talk about it all the time, but it does, it makes an impact in your preseason plans. So, but yeah, no, I mean, yeah, getting those pads on, obviously, that's the big day of training camp. That's where everything kind of fully ramps up. You know, that that's to me, those are the best days when the pads are on, because there's just so much more you can judge. You know, I would always say, you know, and I think I forgot who said it. I want to say it was Kevin Jenkins said, it's like, you know, when the offensive line goes up against the defensive line practice and there's no pads, the advantage is always a defensive line. When the pads come on, it's obviously more even. So, that's always the fun thing to kind of look forward to. Summer, it's a feeling. Discover it for yourself at the Lincoln Summer Invitation. Right now, it gets 0% APR financing for 60 months in the 2024 Lincoln Navigator at your local Lincoln retailer. Not all bars will qualify from Lincoln Navigator Financial Services, APR financing, 60 months at $60, 67 cents per month per $1,000 finance, regardless of down payment. Place a new retailer order or take new retail delivery from an authorized Lincoln retailer stock by September 2nd, 2024. See retailer for residency restrictions, qualifications and details. Yeah, no, I think it'll be, it'll definitely be interesting to kind of see again, I mean, they don't get the whole thing game a lot, no seams don't. I would fully assume when it's all said done, we're going to be seeing basically the, you know, the equivalent of a, you know, a fourth preseason game back before they change the schedule where you're just like, I don't, let's put it this way. I mean, I don't think anybody does, but I don't expect to see any like primary starters out there, especially veterans. Maybe they get some rookie, you know, some of the rookie some extra work. I wouldn't mind seeing Caleb Williams get like a series or two, but even that, I would kind of guess considering he's already the starting quarterback, like they're probably not going to push that and risk the injury aspect. It's just, it's always a delicate balance this time of year. Like as much as we talk about all the training camp battles and everything else, all it takes is one or two injuries for another position to open up or, you know, one or two injuries for the optimism to start fading depending on what positions those are. So, you know, coming out of this healthy is also another really big key, especially going in the week one. Yeah, and I would, I would have bet right now, like, he's probably not going to play in the first, the first preseason game. I'm not planning on seeing him play in that game. But yeah, no, I mean, it's interesting to get that extra preseason game. Aaron, what would, what would be something that would surprise you during training camp? You know, throughout from now until they make roster cuts, you know, maybe a cut early, a signing early, something on the field would kind of be a surprise to you. That's, you know, I'd say somewhat realistic. Like you obviously not saying, you know, someone just shreds their ankle or something like that. But you know, no, I got you. I honestly, like looking at their roster, there's not really a ton of holes. I think obviously defensive lines one. So I guess if I was going to go with the surprise, I would say that somewhere along the lines, they ended up, you know, swinging a trade or something for whether it's a defensive end or whether it's a defensive tackle. Because I think, again, like going back to the whole Yani gakwe situation, it's a lot of that's going to come down the prize because he made $10.5 million last year and played like a $2 million player. And I know people are going to make the argument that as soon as Montes Sweat came in, he started playing better. Okay, well, he's a role player. We know that he's going to be a situational role player. You know, the Marcus Walker is going to get some snaps there. I would guess that they're going to want to get Austin Booker some snaps there. And then again, I mean, you're looking at the defensive tackle spot. Yes, they're putting a lot of faith in the Jervon Dexter and Zach Pickens. But that's four spots right now. There's not really a solidified name. So it wouldn't shock me. Nothing crazy. I mean, I'm not saying they're going to go out and spend a first or second round pick on somebody. But it wouldn't shock me if polls gets a little creative depending on what goes on within gakwe. Maybe there's a guy that was already kind of on the bubble or that, you know, teams have kind of been shopping a little bit because I think you'll kind of see a little bit of that throughout camp where, you know, teams are shopping certain players that they either know they're not going to be able to reach a new contract with or is on the roster bubble kind of like a Larry Boren, for example, that they can bring in. Even if it's not like for a starting spot, maybe some rotational depth that's a little bit more proven. So that would probably be my guess. I just keep looking at, I keep looking at the roster and everything looks pretty okay, except for that defensive line area where it's like, you could probably stay in the add a veteran or two there. Yeah, you know, it wouldn't make sense to add them. You know, you do need some production from the defensive line and, you know, where are you going to get it? Where are you going to get it? We're going to get that pass/trust production outside of, you know, you know, Montez Sweat and, you know, hopefully, your von Dijkstra takes us up forward. You got to Marcus Walker, but you still need more production from from that defensive line. And, you know, you know, to me, someone that was surprised me, I think DeAndre Swift is going to be the lead back. I think he's going to be that work course you were talking about. If either Roshan Johnson or, you know, Quill Herbert overtook him, got more reps, I'd imagine they would. It would be a little bit of surprise for me. I think the Bears, you know, obviously brought in DeAndre Swift for a reason. They got the deal done pretty quick. You know, we saw what the Giants had to say about him on hard knocks. If not, go listen to that clip. And the Bears just really liked him. He's going to be the featured back. I'd be surprised if one of two took more reps away from him. I think people want to think it's going to be a running back by committee. I do think, you know, Roshan at the end of the year and Quill Herbert, other fair share, but I think it's going to be clear that DeAndre Swift is going to lead this backfield. Yeah, I'd agree. I think at this point in time, again, I mean, all you got to do, like you have to shift your mindset right now and and realize that Luke gets he's no longer calling this offense. This is no longer going to be a running back by committee. Like, there's a reason that they targeted, say, Quan Barkley early in the in the free agent process. And there's a reason that the first reported agreement, I guess you could call it free agency was was DeAndre Swift to the Bears. I again, I don't, I don't know that that money is going to be worth it in the long run. It's basically a two year deal with the way it's structured, but very clearly they felt the need to go out and get that bell cow running back. And you don't give a guy $8 million a year if you're not expecting him to take the bulk of snaps. So that's kind of where it's like again, I'll be very interested to see what they end up doing with Khalil Herbert. I mean, you have teams out there like the Dallas Cowboys who could use an extra running back. I think, I think Khalil Herbert in the right scheme, if he's not asked to do too much, could be a very productive running back. He's a very good runner. It's just the issue is his past blocking hasn't really matured the way that they were hoping. And then obviously as a past catcher, it's kind of a mixed bag there as well. It's almost kind of like the Jeremy Langford situation where it's like he's a pretty good runner, but it's everything else that he needs work on. So it'll be interesting because like you said, I mean, they spent a fourth round pick on Roshawn Johnson last year. I mean, obviously he didn't have the year. I think a lot of people were kind of expecting him to be the lead back by the end of the season, but the concussion kind of derail things he seemed a little unsure of things once he came back from that concussion. But assuming he comes back and plays like we expect him to play, I mean, this is a guy with limited mileage, even going back to college, he didn't run the ball a lot last year. He's kind of that physical change of pace back. To me, he makes the most sense is kind of that second running back, and he's got pretty good hands out of the backfield. So again, it begs the question, especially if you're only going to keep three running backs, Travis Homer may make a little bit more sense because he's kind of that change of pace, third round, or third round, third down back that can catch the ball out of the backfield. And he brings a lot of expertise value. And that's really something that Cleo Herbert doesn't doesn't have. So running back is, again, one of those spots that's going to be interesting, but you know, sometimes it's, it's the actions and not the words that speak to loudest. And I think that the bears going out and doing what they did with the Andre Swift, very clearly signaled that they weren't exactly happy with their running back room. And they wanted that that lead back and now they got them. Yep, 100%. And yeah, like we said, the hype is there. The bears will report this week. Ryan Polls, many refus talk on Friday. First practice is Saturday, not open to the public. First episode of Hard Knocks, August 6 already filming up at House Hall. That'd be kind of an interesting dynamic that I'm sure I'll talk more about in future podcasts. And yeah, we're going to our best to break that down every every episode. Break down the practices, obviously, and everything that's going on, you know, with the bears. It's exciting time, man. It's a lot of hype, love excitement around this team going into training camp. And now, you know, we got to see, I don't know if you watched the new video of the bears, but I was in 1920. Helis, they changed up their whole format. Yes. You're more like Hard Knocks. Yes. Maybe some of that's the new, the new guy that took over for. Yes. I mean, I just feel like they're trying just to kind of not, not mere Hard Knocks, but maybe they've gotten some tips advice from, you know, in meetings way into it. I mean, that was probably one of the better. I mean, the one that the draft one was really good too. Yes. They've, they've done a really good job with these last two because I'll be honest that usually the ones that they really use are completely pointless. Yes. Pretty good. Yeah. I mean, didn't, you know, a little bit of a different format type thing, but same kind of, a little bit of the goofy, preface kind of, I don't know, he just still comes off a little robotic to me at times. But, you know, like you said, in that court, man, the Super Bowl is the expectation and they have to hit that field running and they got the guys they think, and then they can do it. So, yeah, that was a good episode. I recommend watching that before Hard Knocks comes out. And yeah, like I said, if you ever watch the Giants one, it's a really good look into the offseason process. I'm looking forward to next year and whoever's on that for the offseason one, which I think they got to hit on their hands. I, you said you didn't watch the Miami one in season last year. I actually thought that one was kind of fine to you. I think getting an in-season look at where a team stands, especially in a playoff race was very interesting. But I feel like there could have been a little more with it. Yeah, well, I think, I mean, and obviously we're saying this covering the bears, talking about the bears, but the offseason is usually pretty interesting, especially if you're following around a team that has a lot of money or has a lot of resources to spend. Like, I feel like the bears one would have been really intriguing too. So yeah, I think you're definitely bringing in like kind of a new level, a new perspective. And I think the other thing too, that's going to be kind of interesting to see like just even in last night's episode, like kind of the way it all happened, chronologically speaking, like there's, it wouldn't honestly shock me if the NFL comes out and does another investigation with the Saquan Barkley and the Philly thing, because like, you know, Joe Shane was fielding calls in his office on a weekend before the negotiation period had started, and they already had an offer from Philly on the table. So I guess what I'm saying here is I think it'll be interesting to see how willing teams are to do this, especially if it's kind of exposing, you know, what's rather down, I feel like to. Yeah, for sure. Well, you know, it just, yeah, it's definitely, I think it's cool because I mean, dude, hard knocks have been around since 2002. And the majority of that time has been spent, you know, during training camp. So it's kind of that fresh new perspective of doing the off season, doing end season, like this year, this year, they're going to be doing the end season with an entire division, which will be interesting too, they're going to be doing the AFC North. So there are definitely more opportunities for fans that kind of get an inner look of how it all goes. But I also think I, I would think I would speak for a lot of fans when I say I think it's going to be really cool to kind of get the bears perspective because as locked down as the bears are, like, and they're going to have some say in what goes out or whatever, like they're going to have to be a hell of a lot more open than they have been over the last what basically since John Fox took over John Fox and Ryan, Ryan Pace. So this is probably going to be the most in depth type of look that you get from bears. And I'm hoping once it's all said done, maybe George will be like, hey, this actually isn't that bad. I mean, there's a whole another revenue stream that is waiting for them on the other side. If they just open up a little bit and make things more active and available for the fans. Promotion, promotion, promotion. Get the show off your brand. And, you know, especially at this time with the franchise. So yeah, I agree, but Aaron, working on value on Twitter at work on our own region work. Yep, you can find me at Aaron Limming NFL on Twitter. And you can read my work on the bear report.com. You can find a bear port on Twitter at bear report. You can follow me on Twitter at Zach, ZACK underscore Pearson. Read my work on the bearport.com read all the work on the bearport.com for everything training campable daily articles, podcasts as well, her knocks, recaps, all that good stuff. Please rate, review, subscribe all major podcasting platforms. Till next time, everyone, please stay safe and please stay healthy. I'm David Worthy, our receiver for their to feel speeding. It's a rush on the field in the zone where it matters. As an athlete, I push my limits to win. But when I get behind the wheel, I know the importance of slowing down for safety. Because speeding is illegal, and it endages you, your loved ones, and everyone else on the road. 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