Matt Eberflus: Bears will have a 'very competitive' training camp

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (670 The Score) — Bears head coach Matt Eberflus wants his players to be ready for demanding work when they report to training camp on July 19 at Halas Hall.

“I told the guys to get ready for a very competitive training camp because we have a lot of good skill sets on both sides,” Eberflus said, relaying the message he shared to his team. “We should really get after it. That’s the only way we are going to get ready for the first game and then leading into that beginning part of the season, is by really being elite at competing against each other.”

The Bears finished their offseason program Wednesday morning at Halas Hall with a light workout that featured only the team’s rookies. Veteran players were dismissed for summer break last week following the conclusion of minicamp. The first-year players will report back to Lake Forest for training camp several days before the veterans, which is customary around the NFL.

After starting 0-4 in 2023, the Bears hope training camp can be the foundation for a strong start in 2024. But the feel of Eberflus’ third training camp as head coach will be vastly different from the last two years.

The Bears enter the 2024 season with an improved roster and heightened expectations. Chicago aims to emerge as legitimate playoff contender this season. It will be the defining test for Eberflus, who’s 10-24 in leading the Bears across two rebuilding seasons.

The Bears have a defense that believes it can be top-five unit and a revamped offense that's now led by rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Williams will be at the focal point of training camp after he was quickly named the starting quarterback upon being drafted. Training camp will be the next key step in his progression.

“It’s about continuing to own the system, the operation,” Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron said of the focus for Williams. “With so many different things, you’re new to a system — whether it’s the new coaches, new rookies, new free agents that have come in the door, the players that have been here in the past. There’s a lot of similarities in so many different offensive systems, but they’re not all exactly the same. The ownership of what every word means, with the goal being when we come to training camp and I say a certain term that clicks in right now in Caleb’s brain, he knows exactly what we’re talking about. We’re on the same page.”

Eberflus' expectation for heated competition in training camp matches the words of general manager Ryan Poles, who said after the NFL Draft that "it's going to be really hard to make this team." With a depth chart that has largely taken shape already, the Bears will only have a few true position battles to play out in training camp.

In addition to the great local interest in the Bears this season, they'll also be in the national spotlight as HBO’s “Hard Knocks” will chronicle their work in training camp.

The Bears will have a busy preseason, as they'll play four exhibition games, including the Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 1.

Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670 .