Chicago Bears training camp: Takeaways from Week 1

The Chicago Bears kicked off training camp with their first practice on Wednesday and wrapped their first week with a session on Saturday ahead of a scheduled day off on Sunday.

So far, there have been four productive days of practice that have taught us about where this Bears team is at this point -- and reminded us that it's too soon to start worrying about what's happening at the beginning of training camp.

With the first week of training camp in the books, here's what we learned about the Bears so far, which includes no frustration with the offense's struggles, intriguing position battles, early standout rookies and the growing connection between quarterback Caleb Williams and a top target.

Bears offense struggled early, but there's no frustration

The Bears offense got off to a rough start during training camp, where there were notable struggles through the first three practices. The first day was littered with pre-snap issues, including the offense lining up incorrectly consecutive times during 7-on-7, which prompted head coach Ben Johnson to yell, "You're out!", and pull them out of the drill. While Johnson acknowledged there are going to be rough days, he's also not going to hold back if mistakes are repeatedly made. The second day featured issues with false starts and botched snaps while the third day featured back-to-back interceptions by Caleb Williams and the defense bringing the pressure. But even before Chicago turned things around on Day 4 -- their best day of camp far -- head coach Ben Johnson noted that there's no frustration at this point.

“We're not frustrated at all," Johnson said. "We're right where we need to be. In fact, I told the unit last night to see where they came from in the springtime to where we've been for three days. We're not having to coach alignment, we're not having to coach finish, we're not having to coach the standard. As you say, now we're coaching football. Now we're reading coverage and we're able to accumulate reps. Like I alluded to before, the beautiful thing about it is our guys, they're learning. We're notmaking the same mistake twice. 

Left tackle job is still wide open

The most prominent position battle emerging at training camp is at left tackle between Braxton Jones, rookie Ozzy Trapilo and second-year pro Kiran Amegadjie. The Bears continued their rotation with the starters with Trapilo and Amegadjie as Jones continues to ramp up after missing the offseason program as he recovered from a fractured fibula. So far, it sounds like Trapilo has the upper hand on Amegadjie (both in performance and given Amegadjie left practice with an injury on Saturday). But it's worth noting that Jones was with the starting offense during install before team period as he ramps up. The real battle doesn't start until the pads come on, but head coach Ben Johnson discussed the importance of every rep in this three-man race.

"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, so each play is going to be evaluated and they've got to take full advantage of each opportunity that they get."

Other position battles

There's no doubt that left tackle has emerged as the most important position battle of the summer, but there's plenty of competition at other positions. That includes backup quarterback, where veteran Case Keenum is trying to hold off third-year pro Tyson Bagent to serve as Caleb Williams' second in command. So far, it's been a pretty fair battle -- and preseason will serve as a good barometer in this competition. But Bagent did make waves on Friday with the third-team offense, which included three touchdowns during red zone work -- two easy scores to running back Roschon Johnson and receiver Samori Toure and "threading the needle" to running back Ian Wheeler for a touchdown, according to Greg Braggs, which was a great throw and catch.

Elsewhere, there appears to be some competition brewing at cornerback opposite starter Jaylon Johnson. Tyrique Stevenson, who's been the starter for the past two seasons, appeared to be rotating with his draft mate Terell Smith during Saturday's practice, according to Herb Howard. Stevenson appeared to be in rotation with Smith with the first-team defense. Nashon Wright has been working in Johnson's place with him sidelined, which indicates he could have a good shot to earn a spot on the roster. There's also a battle for the third linebacker spot with Noah Sewell and fourth-round rookie Ruben Hyppolite II, where it appears Sewell has the advantage right now.

Rookies are making waves

We're just four days into training camp, but the rookies have already been making an impact through the first week. Two of the biggest standouts so far are running back Kyle Monangai and undrafted rookie receiver JP Richardson, who have been mentioned several times through four practices. Monangai was a standout player for Chicago during Thursday's practice, where he had a long run that included a juke move at the end to pick up some extra yards. According to Alex Shapiro, Monangai also got a little work with the first-team offense. Following Saturday's practice, Monangai was praised as having "really good feet and vision," per Herb Howard, and Clay Harbor noted that Monangai "has looked quicker than anticipated and like he belongs."

Meanwhile, Richardson has been the real surprise, and he's certainly assuming the role as the annual fan-favorite training camp receiver through four days. During the first practice, Richardson had the play of the day with a one-handed reception deep down the sideline with a defensive back draped all over him. On Day 3, Courtney Cronin said Richardson made back-to-back catches during team periods with the third-team offense, and he's "put together a good three-day stretch" to open camp.

Elsewhere, tight end Colston Loveland made his training camp debut during team period on Saturday, where he had three catches on the day, according to Adam Jahns, including two during 7-on-7 (one from Caleb Williams for a first down) and one during 11-on-11. Clay Harbor noted that Loveland "looked smooth" as he made some catches. Trapilo has also been making a strong case for the starting left tackle job, but there's still a long way to go in this battle -- and the real work begins when the pads come on.

Caleb Williams, Rome Odunze connection thriving

The Bears have high hopes for a potent duo of Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze, and the pair haven't disappointed through the first week of training camp. Despite the offense's early struggles, Williams and Odunze have been providing some of the bright spots on Days 3 and 4. Williams and Odunze continued to build their rapport in Year 2, which included a nice completion down the right sideline during Friday's team period, per Zack Pearson. During Saturday's practice -- the best for the offense so far -- Williams and Odunze capped the day with a touchdown during the two-minute drill, where "Williams threw a jump-ball touchdown to Rome Odunze" with Nashon Wright (playing in play of an injured Jaylon Johnson) in coverage. It's clear these second-year pros are furthering their connection, which could make for something special in Year 2.

“A year under our belt helps us continue to build that," Odunze said. "With the new offense, learning it together, having the knowledge of playing in the NFL season and having those games. Then putting that into this offense and building the connection that way is great too. Just not being two rookies, figure it out. We kind of have a little bit to base it off of.”

Injury updates

The Bears have a relatively short injury list through the first week of training camp, where there are two prominent players missing: Pro Bowl cornerback Jaylon Johnson and rookie wide receiver Luther Burden III. Johnson suffered a leg injury away from the team that has him on the Non-Football Injury list, and he's expected to miss a few weeks. Meanwhile, Chicago's second-round rookie wideout was expected to be ready at the start of camp, but Burden's lingering hamstring injury held him out of the first four practices. Still, Ben Johnson said "hopefully" Burden will make his training camp debut soon. Rookie defensive tackle Shemar Turner suffered an ankle injury on Day 1, which has held him out of the next three practices. Rookie cornerback Zah Frazier missed a couple of practices due to a personal reason. During Saturday's session, offensive tackle Kiran Amegadjie (who's competing for the starting left tackle job) and offensive lineman Doug Kramer both exited practice with apparent leg injuries.

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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Chicago Bears training camp: Takeaways from Week 1