Eberflus previews week of Bears camp, talks Robinson and Pryor |
LAKE FOREST, I.L. - Following Chicago’s Hall of Fame game 21-17 victory against the Houston Texans, head coach Matt Eberflus is now focused on the next week of training camp and the next preseason game, which will be Sat. Aug. 10 against the Buffalo Bills (Noon / NFL Network).
While the Hall of Fame game was cut short, it was still clear that the second and third-string players had something to offer, with receiver Collin Johnson making an incredible catch and finishing the game with two touchdowns, while quarterback Brett Rypien had the highest quarterback rating of any game he has played in and threw three touchdowns. Therefore, Eberflus has decided to use this week to give fellow second and third-string players a chance against Chicago’s starters. “You’re going to see some matchups this week where you’ll see different guys matched up against different players, have a two or a three matched up against a one just to see if they can elevate their game,” Eberflus said. “We’ll end up doing that a lot this week in terms of one-on-ones, two-on-twos, all the things that we do to see the skill set and see if they can rise as we go because we never put ceilings on players. We want to see if they can really maximize their talent and raise their limitational floor. So, that’s important that we do that.” One player who will be looking to make an impression is defensive end Dominique Robinson. Drafted by the Bears in 2022, Robinson has appeared in 28 games but did not start a single game last season. In his two-year career, he has only two sacks. But Eberflus said he has been improving during training camp, particularly in the run game. “He’s become a better run player. He’s been able to set the edge, be stout on the edge of the defense there and he’s always been great in pursuit and those things,” Eberflus said. “Where we want him to grow the most is really the finishing at the top of his rush, the ability to … bore around the edge to be able to turn that corner with your toes pointing towards the quarterback, and he’s getting better at that. But, we need to see more consistency on that.” Another such player is offensive lineman Matt Pryor. Pryor was picked up in free agency after spending last season with the San Francisco 49ers, where he only played five percent of the offensive snaps. With the competition on the offensive line in Chicago, versatility is incredibly important, and given Pryor’s size at 6 ft. 7 in. and 332 lbs., he can play either as a tackle or a guard. “His size is one. He’s a massive individual. So, if you put him inside, I think it’s really good because (the) inside pocket will be firm and that type of thing. He can really anchor up in there, which is great for a quarterback,” Eberflus said. “The hardest push (is) in the inside that affects him the fastest. So, that benefits us there competition-wise and also depth-wise, and then on the outside edge; I think he’s pretty decent there too. He’s played out there, and it’s good to have that position flexibility to be able to move him around when we need to and also compete for jobs, and that’s where we’re doing right now.” Players like Robinson and Pryor will have their next chance to potentially play in a preseason game against the Bills. The Bears have two more preseason games with one against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sat. Aug. 17 (Noon / NFL Network) before their preseason finale against the Kansas City Chiefs on Thurs. Aug. 22 (7:20 p.m./NFL Network). Five days later, on Tues. Aug. 27, by 3 p.m., all NFL teams must have their roster reduced to 53 players. However, prior to that date, they can have 90 players on the roster.
