5 takeaways from the start of Bears training camp: Offense will need time to take shape

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (670 The Score) — On field one at Halas Hall on Wednesday morning, the Bears lined up for their first play of training camp. It served as a humbling reminder of what could follow these next six weeks.

As second-year quarterback Caleb Williams threw over the right side, in came veteran linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, who jumped the route and hauled in an interception.

"It was a great way to start," linebacker T.J. Edwards said. "Obviously, that's what you want."

At least for the defense. It also underscored the reality for the 23-year-old Williams and a revamped Bears offense – it's going to take time for the unit to settle in.

Here are the five takeaways from the first few days of Bears training camp.

Work in progress
Bears head coach Ben Johnson offered a candid admission Tuesday as his players reported to camp.

"We got to find out who we are, and I'm going beyond just the quarterback here," Johnson said. "I don't know if we're going to be a wide-zone team up front, I don't know if we're going to a gap team yet. There's a lot of things that got to play out, and we won't know until we get the pads on."

Johnson's words were likely a bit exaggerated. After six months on the job, he has a feel for the Bears' personnel and how his offense will work. But he's also building a scheme catered to his players' strengths, and Johnson needs to understand those first.

The Bears' defense is well ahead of the offense to start training camp. That was expected.

As for Williams, there has been clear discomfort as he settles in with Johnson's offense. His timing and rhythm have been off early on. During practice Friday, Williams was 0-for-5 with two interceptions in a red-zone seven-on-seven drill. Williams threw incompletions on his first nine passes.

Johnson downplayed Williams' inconsistent play. Offensive coordinator Declan Doyle added there's no concern, but he did admit Williams needs to improve once the snap is received.

"(Pre-snap command) is the biggest improvement I've seen," Doyle said. "It's all a progression. (But) we've got to continue to get better post-snap and all those things with his vision and where the ball needs to go."

July 28 is hardly the time to be overly concerned about the performance of the Bears offense, especially considering a new scheme is being installed. The real litmus test will be around Aug. 28 as the regular season approaches.

By that point, the Bears need to have a clear identity in place, and Williams needs to be comfortable. That seems a long way off from the present struggles.

Swift hopes to shine
The Bears' interest in acquiring a go-to running back wasn't a secret this offseason. They explored options in free agency and in the early rounds of the NFL Draft.

That type of addition never came to fruition for the Bears, who enter Johnson's first season with D'Andre Swift remaining the starter at running back. This is a highly motivated Swift, who's eager to move past a disappointing 2024 campaign, his first in Chicago after signing a three-year, $24-million deal.

Swift averaged just 3.7 yards per carry last season.

"I think some of the talk is getting to him," receiver DJ Moore said of Swift. "And he wants to be the best that he can be this year, and he's going to go out there and prove it."

In 2022, the Bears led the NFL in rushing as they set a franchise record with 3,014 yards on the ground. That was the foundation of an offense that otherwise struggled. Chicago was second in rushing in 2023.

The Bears ranked 25th in the NFL in rushing in 2024, when they ran for just 1,734 yards in 17 games. Alongside Swift, second-year running back Roschon Johnson struggled while also missing three games with a concussion.

The Bears' backfield mix now includes Swift, Johnson and rookie Kyle Monangai, a seventh-round pick. Swift will again lead the way.

"I don't think I produced enough to contribute to more wins, obviously," Swift said. "(A) lot) of stuff I feel like I can get better at, just looking back and overall improvement, just excited for a new opportunity and new year."

Offensive tackle competition
The Bears have three players – Braxton Jones, Ozzy Trapilo and Kiran Amegadjie – competing for their starting left tackle position.

Jones is still working toward full speed after an offseason recovery from ankle surgery. Johnson cautioned that he'll need the benefit of a ramp-up period before he can play. The rookie Trapilo, a second-round pick, is currently battling with the second-year pro Amegadjie as they rotate each day with the starting unit.

Jones will factor into that rotation once he's fully healthy. At that point, it will be interesting to see whether Amegadjie sticks as part of the competition. The Bears want to give him a chance, though he's the least likely of the three to win the job.

At some point, it could well become a two-man competition between Jones and Trapilo.

The Bears aren't considering shifting right tackle Darnell Wright to the left side, Johnson said, a move that was in mind during the offseason.

Sweat equity
Defensive end Montez Sweat was listed on the injury report with ankle, shin, toe and elbow ailments in 2024. He began the 2024 season on the injury report and likely never played at full health.

Sweat refused to use health as an excuse for his drop in production. He had just 5.5 sacks while playing through the pain, missing only one game.

Early in training camp, Sweat's health is evident in his burst. He looks like the impact player whom the Bears view as their game-wrecker.

"It's hard to block him," Johnson said. "You have to account for him. You move him around, right side, left side, makes it even more difficult because you're looking to help your tackles out with some chips and some nudges and if you don't know where he's going to be, then that makes it that much harder.

"He was very disappointed with how the season went last year, as a lot of the guys in the locker room were both individually and as a team, and felt such a way, so compelled, that he was here throughout the springtime, which is not something that he's done in the past. He's committed to this team. He's committed to getting better. And so I've been very pleased with what I've seen from him so far."

An early standout
Bears rookie receiver JP Richardson hasn't wasted any time making an impression.

Richardson was a standout for the Bears during their first week of training camp. He had several impressive catches while working with the reserve offense.

"JP is a guy who has come in here and been intentional about learning the playbook," Doyle said. "The first thing is always, 'Do you know what to do?' At that point, you unlock your ability to show off your ability. He has done a really good job of coming in and learning it. He's an athletic guy and has a little bit of twitch to him in the route tree. Obviously, through the first three days, it has been fun to see."

An undrafted rookie out of TCU, Richardson will be a player to follow during training camp.

The Bears will continue their practice cycle with four practices this week before their scheduled off day Friday.

Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago's sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.