Takeaways from Ryan Poles, Ben Johnson and the Chicago Bears before training camp begins

Yahoo

5 days ago

LAKE FOREST, Ill. - The Chicago Bears are back, and they start tomorrow.
On the precipice of a new training camp, the Bears' leaders and some players took to the podium to discuss what's next and what's to come.
Here's what we learned from Ryan Poles, Ben Johnson and the Bears on report day as training camp officially opens on Wednesday.
Injury update
One of the surprises on Saturday was how Bears' defensive back Jaylon Johnson was added to the team's non-football injury list.
Poles addressed that on Tuesday.
"It's going to take a few weeks before he can come back," Poles said on Johnson's injury. "We got a lot of faith that he can be his whole self when he comes back."
Poles said Johnson suffered a leg injury that he suffered while training in the offseason.
The other players who were put on the NFI list on Saturday – Case Keenum, Ian Wheeler and Jahdae Walker – were off the list by Tuesday afternoon.
Johnson's status on the Bears' NFI list is something to monitor, but the team didn't seem too concerned about his status going forward for training camp and beyond.
"I'm sure we'll have updates as we go through training camp," Poles said. "But it's going to take a little bit of time."
How to stand out
Johnson might be conducting his first training camp as a head coach, but he was straight forward in what he wanted to see in the next six weeks.
If the Bears are going to stand out, they'll need to do it on the field.
"What we're looking for: it's dependability, it's consistency," Johnson said. "It's production on a day-in and day-out basis."
The Bears have plenty to figure out in camp – namely, who's starting at left tackle – but it all leads to finding a starting lineup the Bears will have put on the field in Week 1 against the Vikings on Monday Night Football.
To get there, the Bears will have to show it on the field.
For example, the Bears' left tackle race is between Braxton Jones, Kiran Amegadije and Ozzy Trapilo. Trapilo took plenty of snaps in OTAs and minicamp. Jones is the returning starter, but is still recovering from ankle surgery. Amegadije has a whole season under his belt as a pro. None of the past matters as the Bears start with a blank slate.
"Just because the guy's played and another guy hasn't in this league, we're going to let the competition play out and see where it goes," Johnson said,
There were plenty of players that struggled to stay on the camp field last offseason. Injuries happen, but that's also why the Bears deepened the roster.
The message is sent loud and clear: If a player isn't consistently available, they're not promised a job.
"There's a lot of excitement around the program and I think rightfully so," Johnson said. "There's a lot of talent on the roster. Looking forward to seeing what leaders come out of the locker room and really lead the charge here for us."
Leadership impact
There's no question the Bears needed louder voices in the locker room.
Last season, players admitted the coaching staff didn't coach the team as hard as they should have and the team struggled as voices never consistently materialized to lead the team out of a 10-game losing streak.
Enter: defensive lineman Grady Jarrett.
Jarrett was a fixture in Atlanta for 10 seasons. Season 11 will be in Chicago, where he'll impart wisdom on a Bears' defensive line that includes rookie second-round pick Shemar Turner, third-year defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr. and free-agent signee Dayo Odeynigbo.
If those players want to keep up with Jarrett, they'll have to come to camp ready. Or else Jarrett will leave them well behind.
"There is no ramping-up period," Jarrett said when asked about a camp ramp-up period to prepare for camp. "You go balls to the wall everyday."
Some players might not need that level of fire Jarrett brings, like Montez Sweat. The Bears' premiere edge rusher has always marched to his own set tone, and gets paid to do exactly that. He'll undoubtedly benefit from playing next to Jarrett.
But, Jarrett's presence will be a perfect example for some of the Bears players that are looking to take the next step.
Jarrett made it clear he's going to make camp challenging if those around him aren't ready.
"We should make this the hardest point of the season," Jarrett said.