One offensive highlight Tuesday was produced by rookie tight end Colston Loveland. The first-round draft pick from Michigan caught a third-down pass from Caleb Williams over the middle and hung onto the ball despite being hit by safety Kevin Byard III.
“[It was] an open-or-not type read, sit it down if you need to if there’s space,” Loveland said. “Caleb found me, did a good job finding me and we converted, which is always what you’re trying to do on third down.”
Since the outset of camp, Johnson has been impressed not only with Loveland’s pass catching ability but his football instincts.
“He had a particular block the other day where the defensive end looked to spin out of it, and he was able to anticipate that and able to stay on top of it,” Johnson said. “Those are things that really stand out to the coaching staff that maybe if you’re just a regular bystander, you might not see, and it’s really encouraging when you look at a young player like that and the growth that he’s going to be able to have the more reps that he gets.”
In his first season with the Bears, veteran defensive coordinator Dennis Allen is challenging the offense with frequent blitzes and lining players up in different spots.
“Another coach told me yesterday, he said, ‘You know, Dennis has a little ego too now,'” Johnson said. “He didn’t come into camp looking to get steamrolled at all. He’s looking to make a name for the defense. He’s bringing it left and right. It’s a compliment when all those defenders talk about how complex it is. We see it on offense too. It’s hard.
“We’re having a difficult time in protection right now. I think that’s probably what stands out to me from the first five practices. We need to do a better job giving our quarterbacks a clean pocket. We’re having to work the scramble drill a little bit more than we would like.
“It’s truly a credit to ‘DA.’ I said it to the staff on the day off a couple days ago: What’s been most glaring to me from springtime to those first four days of practice has been how much tighter our coverage has been. The corners, the safeties, the linebackers, it takes time to get this down, what they’re looking to do, and yet there are significantly smaller windows than there were in the springtime. We’re trending in the right direction there.”
The defense excelled in two-minute drills Tuesday, with both the first and second units forcing their offensive counterparts to turn the ball over on downs.
Johnson feels that Williams is “so much more comfortable” with the motions and shifts that are an integral part of the offense that’s being installed.
“We go from gun to under [center] to the tight ends are moving, the receivers are moving,” Johnson said. “We’re adding more every day. I told him this on the player day off: His process is really clean right now. I’m talking about how he’s preparing. I’m really pleased with it. He’s doing the work behind the scenes that no one else is seeing and we’re starting to see the dividends being paid from it.”
Receiver Rome Odunze has picked up where he left off in offseason workouts, demonstrating his excellent route-running ability and hands. Early in Tuesday’s practice, he made a nice catch from Williams near the left sideline.
“To me, he fits that prototypical ‘X’ receiver where you can line him up outside the numbers,” Johnson said, “and provided he gets a one-on-one with a corner, he’s going to win most of his matchups: slant routes, stop routes, go routes, the whole route tree outside the numbers. That’s what I’ve seen from him so far.
“He’s a really detailed route runner. He had a route yesterday in one-on-ones that was really impressive. He’s looking one way, breaks the other way and really snaps it off for a sharp cut. When you have a long guy that can win contested catches and torque down the field and all that, but yet can still drop his weight and get into and out of routes, that’s really a unique skill set that we’re going to look to capitalize on.”
Rookie retaining info like ‘a sponge’
Johnson has been pleased with what he’s seen from rookie running back Kyle Monangai, a seventh-round pick from Rutgers.
“He’s a sponge,” Johnson said. “He wants to do everything exactly like you coach it, and there’s a lot of merit to that. He’s going to be one of those glue guys that you can count on to do it the right way. When the pads come on at that particular position, the drill I love most is the one-on-one pass rush where it’s him versus a linebacker, just to see how stout they are. You have to be wired a little bit differently to come up and smack the linebacker in the teeth there Day 1 in pads. I think he’s got that mentality.”
Cornerback Nahshon Wright has seemingly made a notable play in every practice, and that was the case again Tuesday. The fourth-year pro, who has been working with the No. 1 defense while Jaylon Johnson recovers from a leg injury, broke up a pass intended for Odunze.
“He’s a good communicator,” said nickel back Kyler Gordon. “He’s on his stuff. He’s got great technique. There’s really no drop-off. He’s been a great teammate, great player. It’s exciting to watch him play and just jump right into the system. He’s on everything; another smart player who knows how to do everything, so it’s easy to play with him.”
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