Takeaways from Day four of Bears Training Camp

Williams signing his autograph for a young fan

by Dustin Riese - Senior Writer - Tue Jul 23 17:38:50 GMT-05:00 2024

Don't look now, but the NFL season is almost here, and the Chicago Bears are in the midst of Training Camp. Granted, we are less than a week into training camp, but this is arguably the most anticipated training camp in quite some time, and the expectations for the season are as high as ever.

Whenever you are in the opening week of training camp, the vibes at Camp are different. Sure, you want things to go as smoothly as possible as you prep for the season, but this is also when you can make mistakes and iron out some of the kinks leading into the season.

The Bears certainly made mistakes this week, but there has also been a ton to like about what they have shown, and fans are getting more excited by the minute.

Here are just a few things that stood out for the Bears on day four of camp:

Caleb Williams and Tyler Scott are building chemistry

One of the most significant changes regarding the Bears' offense will be in the passing game this season. Not only did the Bears draft Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze in the first round this season, but they also traded for Keenan Allen, giving the Bears one of the deepest WR rooms in the league.

However, the players on the bench could benefit the most from this, and one of those guys is Tyler Scott, who is continuing to gain plenty of confidene with Williams. Drafted in the fourth round out of Cincinnati last year, Scott flashed plenty of potential, but did have his issues when it came to catching passes. Expected to take a more significant role after Darnell Mooney departed, the Bears then added Allen and Odunze, pushing Scott back to the No. 4 option.

Even if that remains the case most of the season, Scott is an excellent No. 4 option and could emerge as a significant threat this season if he and Williams remain on the same page. You can never have too much offense, and the Bears are going to have plenty of offense this season. The only question will be, will there be enough footballs to go around?

The Defense dominated the two-minute drill

As expected, the defense will play a vital role in the team's success this season, especially considering how they played down the stretch last season. Should they continue to play at that level or even take that next step as a unit, big things will be coming for the Bears.

If their recent performance during the two-minute drill indicates what is to come, teams will have nightmares this season. The Bears came up huge during the team's most recent two-minute exercise, especially in the red zone. Through four days of workouts, the Bears have shown a bend-but-not-break mentality, but when they need to make a play, they tend to make that play over the offense.

They have bested the offense so far in the head-to-head portion of the practices and have made countless big stops to prevent the offense from scoring. This is the mindset the Bears are going to need to have this season, as it will be up to them to set the tone once again to take some of that hype away from the offense.

Jack Sanborn continues to impress

One of the season's biggest surprises last year was the play of former Wisconsin LB Jack Sanborn. Picked up as an undrafted free agent last summer, Sanborn put the work in from day one and earned a spot on the Bears roster. He eventually became a significant piece for the defense and was playing his best ball of the season before going down with an injury.

Looking to put that injury behind him and build off his strong rookie season showing, Sanborn has been one of the most consistent players on defense so far this summer, which bodes well for what is to come from him. With TJ Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds anchoring the OLB positions, Sanborn is going to have an opportunity to earn the MLB job, but regardless, he will be a massive part of what this defense does.

He continued to show his growth as a player on Tuesday. His instincts for the game are incredible, and he nearly came away with an interception off Williams. That pass was intended for Gerald Everett during an 11-on-11 drill, and if Sanborn had hung onto the intercept, there would have been a lot more attention on him.