Lake Forest, Ill.– The Chicago Bears took the field for the team’s first official training camp practice on Wednesday morning, kicking off the action at Halas Hall. We had the opportunity to hear from a number of veterans, including offensive linemen Riley Reiff and Michael Schofield, while also hearing from star pass rusher Robert Quinn, who was the subject of trade rumors this offseason.
Let’s recap what was a busy day at Halas Hall.

1) Robert Quinn doesn’t care about any trade rumors.
After skipping mandatory minicamp in June, Quinn was present for the start of training camp and spoke to the media following practice. The subject of trade rumors throughout the offseason, Quinn brushed off any talks about possibly being traded.
“I expect to be here, but I guess if not, well, that’s out of my control,” Quinn said. “I’m just going to take it day by day and have fun here with the guys and just let life take its course.”
Quinn mentioned on multiple occasions that there exists a business in the football side of things, acknowledging that if anything were to happen, he’d accept his situation for what it was.

2) Rookie cornerback Kyler Gordon is off to a fast start.
Kyler Gordon is looking to make big strides in 2022 and starting off training camp by playing inside the slot and on the outside. The Bears know that Gordon is an incredible athlete and someone who can play all over the field. But by moving Gordon from the inside to the outside, the team is trying its best to set Gordon up to succeed.

3) Expect to see a much improved offensive line.
When the Bears added Riley Reiff and Michael Schofield, the goal was giving the Bears two starting-caliber offensive linemen that would also help develop some younger players that could potentially start in the future.
Signing Schofield and Reiff means the Bears raised the ceiling of the offensive line, something that needs to be taken into account when evaluating Chicago’s offensive line. While both players may not be long-term solutions, they do give the Bears some legitimate stopgap solutions to aid in Justin Fields development for the 2022 season.

4) Eddie Jackson returning punts is a question mark.
While head coach Matt Eberflus did mention that the star safety was returning punts, the question exists as to why the Bears are having their All-Pro defensive back get reps on special teams. For a player who could have a bounceback season with a new regime, it would be wiser to have second and third-string running backs and wide receivers get some action in the return game.
Doing so would free up Jackson to get reps with the secondary, much of which has been revamped this offseason with the additions of Tavon Young, Kyler Gordon, and Jaquan Brisker.

5) Head coach Matt Eberflus is sending a clear and concise message.
Whether you like it or not, Eberflus is being about as direct as it gets when laying down expectations for the Bears. He’s consistently emphasized playing with a certain level of intensity and not taking reps off. The good news is that training camp is the time to experiment with stuff the Bears hope to eventually run in the regular season.
While some may not see Eberflus’ vision yet, everything seems to slowly be coming together for the Bears.