logo
4 things we learned as Chicago Bears reported to camp, including Jaylon Johnson out for ‘a few weeks'

4 things we learned as Chicago Bears reported to camp, including Jaylon Johnson out for ‘a few weeks'

Chicago Tribune5 days ago
The Chicago Bears are back at Halas Hall.
Veteran players reported for training camp Tuesday in Lake Forest, and general manager Ryan Poles, coach Ben Johnson and quarterback Caleb Williams met with the media. The team will hold its first practice Wednesday morning.
Here are four things we learned.
The Bears placed Johnson on the non-football injury list over the weekend, and Poles said Tuesday the two-time Pro Bowl cornerback will be out for a few weeks because of a leg injury.
The NFI list is for players who suffer injuries away from team facilities. Poles said Johnson injured his leg while training on his own. He declined to elaborate on the injury.
'It is going to take a few weeks before he can come back,' Poles said. 'We've got a lot of faith that he's going to put in the time to rehab and be his full self when he comes back. I'm sure we'll have updates as we go through training camp, but it's going to take a little bit of time. But (we're) not overly concerned about (it) long term.'
Still, the Bears will be without their top coverage cornerback for a while. With the Sept. 8 season opener against the Minnesota Vikings looming just seven weeks from now, 'a few weeks' is not insignificant.
Photos: Chicago Bears report to training campWithout Johnson, the spotlight in practice will turn toward cornerbacks Kyler Gordon, Tyrique Stevenson and Terell Smith.
In other injury news, running back Ian Wheeler and wide receiver Jahdae Walker were activated off the NFI list. The Bears previously designated veteran quarterback Case Keenum for the NFI list but removed him a day later.
Poles noted that left tackle Braxton Jones and rookie tight end Colston Loveland, who dealt with injuries in the spring, are healthy and ready to go for camp. Poles suggested there would be a 'ramp-up period' before they're 100% back to football activities.
Additionally, the Bears signed cornerback Tre Flowers and defensive end Tanoh Kpassagnon. Flowers, an eighth-year NFL veteran, spent last season with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts. Kpassagnon is in his ninth season and spent the last four years with Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen with the New Orleans Saints.
To make room for those two, the Bears waived defensive end Jereme Robinson and safety Alex Cook.
Speaking at the lectern in the media room, Johnson asked the assembled media if anyone had seen the Netflix documentary 'Air Force Elite: Thunderbirds.' Few in the room had.
'Spoiler alert,' Johnson warned.
The first-year head coach likened training camp to the preparation process of the Air Force's elite aerial demonstration team.
'It's four new pilots and they've never worked together,' Johnson said. 'Through the course of their training, it's all about earning trust because it's a dangerous job and they're doing some very dangerous acrobatics throughout the air.'
Johnson sees parallels between the Thunderbirds pilots and his football team. There's a new head coach, new coordinators and new position coaches. There are new offensive linemen who must grow comfortable playing together. There's a defense learning a new scheme under Allen.
And then, of course, there's a quarterback working with a new play caller in Johnson.
'Really the next six weeks is about us coming together because it takes time to build that trust,' Johnson said. 'It's hard to earn, and it's really easy to lose that trust.'
Johnson has talked a lot about trust since taking over as head coach in January. Perhaps nowhere is that more important than in the play caller-quarterback relationship. Johnson and Williams need to be on the same page if the Bears offense is going to turn a corner in 2025.
'He and I have been talking all spring, all summer, constant phone calls, constant conversations,' Johnson said. 'And so I think we're in a great place and he wants to get coached hard. And we're going to push him as hard as we can and do what is right for the team.'
Poles spoke publicly for the first time since the Bears awarded him a contract extension earlier this month. The deal matches Poles' duration with Johnson's; both are under contract through the 2029 season.
For a franchise that has been constantly juggling GMs, head coaches and quarterbacks over the last 15 years, this should give Poles and Johnson some stability to build the team together for the next several years.
'I am excited about the alignment and the stability that we have within our leadership group here,' Poles said. 'I have an unbelievable group of people that support me, believe in me, work with me, that help drive what we're doing on our roster and on our football team, and that means a lot.'
In a four-minute statement, Poles addressed Jaylon Johnson's injury, several transactions and his updated contract. He did not, however, answer any questions from the media. That was a notable departure for a GM who typically has answered questions every year as players report.
'My sole focus right now is supporting Ben, his coaching staff, our players and our entire organization and football operation,' Poles said.
Johnson confirmed it will be a three-man race for the left tackle job, as expected. Braxton Jones will compete with second-year pro Kiran Amegadjie and rookie Ozzy Trapilo. All three will get 'a fair shot,' Johnson said.
With only so much time allowed on the practice field, there are limited reps to go around.
'That's why everything's going to matter,' Johnson said. 'Every play matters. It all is going to matter as we go through this thing. I can't tell you I've been through a three-man race before, and so each play is going to be evaluated and they've got to take full advantage of each opportunity that they get.'
As expected, third-year pro Darnell Wright will remain at right tackle. Wright, a 2023 first-round draft pick, worked on the right side throughout organized team activities and minicamp.
As a rookie last year, Amegadjie saw limited action and started one game. Trapilo, a second-round draft pick, started at right tackle the last two seasons at Boston College.
With 40 NFL starts under his belt, Jones likely remains the favorite to win the job. He won the starting left tackle job as a rookie fifth-round pick out of Southern Utah in 2022 and has held the job ever since.
'I would like to think his experience will help him, but we're coming in with blank slates right now,' Johnson said. 'And so just because a guy's played and another guy hasn't in this league, we're going to let the competition play out and we'll see where it goes.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Rashawn Slater's 4-year, $114M deal with Chargers further enriches Howie Roseman's genius
Rashawn Slater's 4-year, $114M deal with Chargers further enriches Howie Roseman's genius

USA Today

time13 minutes ago

  • USA Today

Rashawn Slater's 4-year, $114M deal with Chargers further enriches Howie Roseman's genius

Lane Johnson is now the 7th highest-paid offensive tackle in the NFL, and Jordan Mailata is No. 8 after Rashawn Slater's 4-year, $114M Deal with the Chargers The #Chargers are finalizing a blockbuster extension with standout OT Rashawn Slater, per The Insiders, locking in one of their best young gets a 4-year, $114M deal to make him the highest-paid tackle in a deal done by Patrick Collins and Tommy Condon of CAA. Howie Roseman stays ahead of the curve, so that his star players won't feel left behind when their peers around the NFL sign new deals. Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson are All-Pros and two of the league's most dominant players. Still, Johnson is now the 7th highest-paid offensive tackle in the NFL, and Jordan Mailata is No. 8 after Rashawn Slater's 4-year, $114 million Deal with the Chargers. The $28.5 million per year makes Slater the highest-paid offensive lineman by average annual pay in a contract in NFL history. Slater has been extension-eligible since last offseason, but general manager Joe Hortiz and the Chargers chose to wait. In contrast, others at his position in his 2021 draft class signed lucrative extensions, including the Detroit Lions' Penei Sewell (4 years, $112 million, $85 million guaranteed) and Minnesota Vikings' Christian Darrisaw (4 years, $104 million, $67 million guaranteed). Left Tackles Right Tackles Since being selected by Los Angeles in the first round (13th overall) of the 2021 NFL Draft, Slater has started all 52 career appearances at left tackle, serving as the blind-side protector for quarterback Justin Herbert. In 2024, he started 16 games, including the postseason, helping keep Herbert upright for the offense to commit just eight turnovers, setting a franchise record and tying for the second-fewest offensive turnovers in a single season in NFL history. As a rookie in 2021, Slater started all 16 appearances at left tackle, earning second-team All-Pro status from The Associated Press. Slater was also named the starting left tackle for the AFC in the Pro Bowl, becoming the first rookie tackle to be named an all-star since 2012. Philadelphia got its stars under contract for the foreseeable future, and at a bargain. Mailata's 85.5 PFF overall grade in Week 17 led all offensive tackles, and he's the highest-graded offensive tackle in the NFL (95.8). Mailata leads the NFL in run blocking grade (94.9), and he's second in pass blocking (91.7), according to PFF. Last season, Johnson ranked 1st among NFL right tackles in PFF pass-blocking grade (88.1), pressure percentage (2.2%), and knockdown percentage (0.2%). He allowed zero sacks and one quarterback hit in 451 pass-blocking snaps.

From hoops to Hall of Fame: Antonio Gates' unique NFL journey to Canton
From hoops to Hall of Fame: Antonio Gates' unique NFL journey to Canton

San Francisco Chronicle​

time13 minutes ago

  • San Francisco Chronicle​

From hoops to Hall of Fame: Antonio Gates' unique NFL journey to Canton

Antonio Gates thought his path to a Hall of Fame career would have been in basketball. Instead, he became one of the best tight ends in NFL history. Gates will be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday, getting elected to Canton without playing college football. He played his entire 16-year career for the Bolts and finished with 116 receiving touchdowns, the most by a tight end in NFL history. 'My journey was probably the most unique journey in all of football because I came in as a former basketball player, not knowing what to expect,' Gates said. 'Some of those guys who are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, they wanted to be Pro Football Hall of Famers when they were 14 years old. I wanted to play in the NBA. That was my dream. Like I said, I still haven't wrapped my head around it all.' Gates played both football and basketball during high school at Detroit Central. Nick Saban recruited Gates to play football at Michigan State, but he didn't play as a freshman. Gates also wanted to play basketball, but Saban disagreed. Gates transferred to Eastern Michigan, then to two junior colleges, and eventually to Kent State. It was at Kent State that Gates reached national prominence. He led the Golden Flashes to the Elite Eight in the 2002 NCAA Tournament as a junior and an Associated Press All-America honorable mention selection as a senior after averaging 20.6 points, 7.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game. Even though Gates was convinced he would get drafted in the NBA, at 6-foot-4, scouts saw him as an undersized post player. However, Tim Brewster, who was the Chargers' tight ends coach in 2003, saw in Gates the size and speed that he thought would make him a great tight end. Brewster saw Gates during a private workout and immediately began making his pitch to Marty Schottenheimer and the Chargers' front office to sign him as a free agent. 'A lot of people like to take credit, but Tim is the number one reason why I am in the Hall of Fame,' Gates said. 'He found me, believed what I could become, and was around me constantly. He really got me into a position where I look up, and I was All-Pro my second year in the field.' After having 24 receptions for 389 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie, Gates had a career-high 13 touchdowns in 2004 en route to the first of three straight Associated Press All-Pro honors and eight consecutive trips to the Pro Bowl. He also had 81 catches for 964 yards. Even though he was catching a lot of passes, Gates' route-running didn't always get high marks from coaches. 'What I was doing as a rookie and in my second year was considered nontraditional. I would play well, but grade out bad because I creating a lane. And unfortunately, when you're creating something that's never been done or seen, it gets scrutinized. I would use my instinct to make the play.' Many of the things that Gates did with shape routes, pivot routes over the ball and tight ends releasing at the line of scrimmage are commonplace today with Kansas City's Travis Kelce and San Francisco's George Kittle. Gates utilized his basketball skills on the football field, as catching the ball at its highest point is similar to rebounding in the paint, as well as boxing out on the hardwood and trying to get open against a defensive back. Gates might have been outsized as a power forward, but he had an advantage going up against defensive backs who often were smaller than he was. Gates' career flourished under Norv Turner, the Chargers coach from 2007 through '12. Turner lined Gates up in different spots and also used more two tight end sets. Gates' route-running also improved under Turner and with Philip Rivers as the quarterback. 'He had to win on his route-running and his ability to separate and his understanding of coverages and all those things. Philip is as good a passer as there's been in a long time, but Philip wasn't going to move around and make a lot of plays off schedule,' Turner said. Gates finished with 955 receptions for 11,841 yards. He had 21 multi-touchdown games, the most among tight ends. Of his 116 touchdowns, 39 came on third down, which is tied for third all time. He had eight seasons with at least eight touchdowns and was a member of the NFL's All-Decade Team of the 2000s. Gates said the biggest thing he is looking forward to is being able to thank the people who helped him get to Canton. 'I've always been in a space where from a popularity standpoint, people know my name. It's my chance to thank everyone else,' he said. 'Although you are the face and the focus point, it's truly not about you. You're letting everybody understand what it took to get to this point and who were influential.' ___

Chargers make Rashawn Slater the highest-paid OL in NFL history with four-year extension
Chargers make Rashawn Slater the highest-paid OL in NFL history with four-year extension

USA Today

time43 minutes ago

  • USA Today

Chargers make Rashawn Slater the highest-paid OL in NFL history with four-year extension

The Chargers have locked in one of their key pieces for the long term. The team has reached an agreement with offensive tackle Rashawn Slater on a four-year, $114 million contract extension. This deal includes $92 million guaranteed, making him the highest-paid offensive lineman in NFL history. Slater was entering the final year of his contract and was set to make $19.04 million in 2025 after having his fifth-year option picked up. Now, he is contractually tied to the organization through the 2029 campaign. Selected in the first round (No. 13 overall) of the 2021 NFL draft, Slater has warranted that type of contract with his play on the field. A prolific pass protector and a road-grader in the run game, he has earned second-team All-Pro honors (2021) and two trips to the Pro Bowl (2021, 2024). At only 26 years old, Slater's best playing days are only ahead of him, as he continues to protect Justin Herbert's blindside and pave the way for Omarion Hampton and the rest of the members of the backfield.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store