Chicago Bears Q&A: Is there reason for concern with the passing game? Is Austin Booker set to take off?

The Bears will repeat that routine this week with the Buffalo Bills coming to Lake Forest for a joint practice Friday before the teams meet Sunday night at Soldier Field.

Will quarterback Caleb Williams and the other Bears starters take the field in that game? And will we see progress from the first-team offense? Brad Biggs addresses these questions and more in his weekly Bears mailbag.

QUESTION: Is there reason to be concerned about the offense with camp reports of struggles by the QB and getting outplayed by the defense, reminiscent of past years? Or more belief that the offense will be different because of a proven play caller as the head coach with a more talented quarterback? — @jtbarczak

ANSWER: Until the Bears consistently get the type of quarterback play they’ve been seeking for decades, there is reason for concern. Some of what we’ve seen on the practice fields, throughout what’s now a little more than half of training camp, looks similar to passing-game issues that troubled previous quarterbacks. The ball comes out late from time to time. Ball placement hasn’t been as consistently accurate as you would like to see. Plays have a tendency to break down quickly.

It will be really interesting to see how it comes together later this week in a joint practice with the Buffalo Bills on Friday and the preseason game Sunday night at Soldier Field, assuming Bears coach Ben Johnson elects to play his starting offense. Of course, what we see in the regular season will be even more interesting and this is an evolving project. The Bears should be better in October than they are in September. There should be natural growth throughout the season.

For all of the analysis of Caleb Williams, the bevy of skill-position talent around him and what it means in the big picture, we’ve glossed over the likelihood that Johnson wants to establish a rugged, physical running game. That’s part of his DNA as a play caller and designer. It’s something he believes in and helped make a big part of the offensive success in Detroit.

So if the Bears can build a multifaceted running game with their rebuilt offensive line, there’s a chance that would really benefit Williams in the passing game. That’s a little more difficult to see in practice. It doesn’t show up in seven-on-seven periods. It’s not an element you can learn about in two-minute sessions or red-zone drills. If the Bears can successfully run the ball, create holes and get a solid push up front, the play-action game will come to life and Williams will have a lot of one-on-one options to take advantage of downfield.

That has to be the hope right now because I don’t think Williams will be at the point this season where he can regularly dominate games as a pocket passer. The top-tier quarterbacks can do that, and that has to remain the goal in the long run. In the meantime, can the Bears impose their will on opponents, build a successful passing game off of that and win games? That’s the question we probably need to find answers to during the regular season.

QUESTION: Austin Booker had a strong preseason last year as well. So how much stock do we put into this recent performance? — @comikalbiker

ANSWER: My first reaction is Booker can only run around and through the offensive tackle lined up against him. He consistently did that Sunday in a 24-24 tie with the Miami Dolphins. Even though his three-sack, one-forced-fumble effort didn’t come against a starting-caliber left tackle, he won over and over against guys on an NFL roster. So Booker did his job. It wasn’t a flash here or there. He dominated.

My next reaction is to go back to what defensive coordinator Dennis Allen said last week. He said Booker has flashed in training camp and he wants to see more consistency. The next step is pretty obvious. Booker needs to bring it on the practice field this week and he needs another strong showing against the Bills. Maybe he won’t get three sacks again, but if he’s disruptive, that would go a long way toward earning trust from a new coaching staff.

Booker has a couple of things going for him that former Bears coach Dave Wannstedt said he always looks for in a pass rusher. First, he has a quick first step. It’s hard to win without one. Second, he always plays with a high motor. As Wannstedt said, if you watch every sack over the course of an NFL weekend, about one-third of them are hustle plays. So if Booker continues to play with a high motor, he’ll have a chance to make those plays.

It was a terrific start to the preseason for Booker. Now we’ll see how he can build off of it. If he can, he’s an easy choice as the third defensive end and a player who can be on the field in sub packages.

QUESTION: I keep hearing Dayo Odeyingbo will play inside on passing downs with presumably Austin Booker or Dominique Robinson replacing him to pair with Montez Sweat. Which defensive tackle will get the majority of the snaps with that group? And why not just keep Odeyingbo at edge since DT2 seems stronger than Edge3 on this roster? — @gregfeltes

ANSWER: Good question. My initial reaction is the idea that Odeyingbo (or Sweat for that matter) will kick inside on passing downs probably has been overblown. Both defensive ends have the traits — size, skill, movement — to be successful on the inside in pass-rushing situations. Dennis Allen can scheme up one-on-one matchups for them against guards, who usually aren’t as athletic as offensive tackles. It can create a runway to the quarterback. That won’t happen every time the opponent is in a passing situation. It’s a situational thing you will see on occasion depending on the opponent, the game plan, etc.

I’d expect Grady Jarrett and Gervon Dexter Sr. to be the tackles in most pass-rushing situations. If Chris Williams makes the roster — and he has a solid chance — he also has shown the ability to create pressure from the interior.

It’s all about creating advantageous matchups when you’re talking about pressuring the quarterback on third down and in clear pass-rushing situations. We’ll probably see one of the defensive ends kick inside from time to time, but I doubt that’s a regular thing.

QUESTION: How do you see the target shares playing out with the two tight ends and three receivers? It’s hard to call it. — Lee, United Kingdom

ANSWER: That’s really hard to say. I’d expect DJ Moore and Rome Odunze, in some order, to lead the team in targets. The third wide receiver will be Olamide Zaccheaus or Luther Burden III. The division of playing time and targets for them probably will differ a little on a weekly basis. Burden has been coming on lately, and Zaccheaus has enjoyed a dynamite training camp.

I want to see if Caleb Williams can get the ball to Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet on a consistent basis. It’s easy to look at the ball distribution in Detroit and figure the tight end will be a major component of the passing game. It’s also easy to look back at last season and recall that Kmet was almost totally ignored in the passing game week after week, especially in the second half of the season.

I’d be blind guessing at this point throwing out possible numbers for the tight ends this season. What I do know is Loveland and Kmet complement each other pretty well, and if nothing else, they should help the offense pick up a good number of first downs if Williams is comfortable throwing to them.

QUESTION: What’s the plan if the state legislature does not pass the legislation that the Bears want? — Jerry F.

ANSWER: That’s a great question. President/CEO Kevin Warren didn’t announce a Plan B on Friday when he discussed the team’s stadium situation. The Bears are hopeful legislation in the fall veto session will create a path for them to achieve tax certainty with local governing bodies in Arlington Heights. If that doesn’t come to fruition, the team could renew that effort in the spring.

Marc Ganis, president of Sportscorp and an expert on stadium situations, threw out a Plan B when discussing the situation Tuesday morning on WSCR-AM 670.

“Gov. (JB) Pritzker is acting like there isn’t a state just a few minutes away that has legislation that wants to try to bring the Bears to Northwest Indiana,” Ganis said. “He’s acting like he’s the only game in town and the Bears haven’t approached (Indiana). They’ve ignored what Indiana has put forth, but if this keeps going in the state of Illinois — and the state of Illinois continues to act the way it has — maybe they won’t have a choice but to at least open the door to that option.”

What to know about the Chicago Bears’ possible move to Arlington Heights — or a domed stadium on the lakefront

I agree the Bears aren’t there yet, but if they strike out in their bid for support from Springfield, they will have to either seek another alternative or, who knows, consider potential upgrades to their current stadium at Soldier Field. That doesn’t seem like a likely Plan C, but who knows?

Keep your focus on Arlington Heights for the time being and understand the Bears are playing a high-stakes public-relations game in which they’re trying to convey the message that a new stadium in the northwest suburbs is a win for the local communities, Cook County and the state. It would be a huge win for them as well.

QUESTION: With the “no recording” rules in place at the Friday joint practices, will coaches access their full playbook in those practices? Or keep the play calling preseason-level basic because Miami could share the film with coaches around the league? — Brie B., Chicago

ANSWER: There isn’t a “no recording” rule in place for the joint practices. The Bears and Dolphins both taped practice Friday like they would any normal practice on their own. Of course, that film is for internal use only. It’s not like the Bears are offering it to an AFC East rival of the Dolphins, and Miami isn’t dropping off a copy at Lambeau Field.

The Bears ran the same stuff they’ve been working on during training camp. The difference is the offense was running plays against a Dolphins defense that hasn’t seen the same material day after day going back to May. The coaches were looking for assignment, technique and execution. That will be the case again Friday when the Bills visit Halas Hall. It’s all basic this time of year, with the Bears turning an eye to the Minnesota Vikings and Week 1 after the preseason finale. That’s when things get a lot more specific.

QUESTION: Million-dollar question: Will the starters play Sunday night? — John G., Hammond, Ind.

ANSWER: I don’t know if the answer is worth a million bucks, but, yes, my hunch is you will see most if not all of the starters play against the Bills. I don’t know when Ben Johnson will reveal his plan for this week, but he hinted last week at the possibility of starters playing in the second preseason game. We’ll see how that affects practice plans this week.

One point I would make: A 7 p.m. kickoff Sunday gives the players seven more hours to rest after the joint practice Friday. The Dolphins game started at noon. How much that affects the sports science the Bears use when evaluating player usage, I don’t know.

QUESTION: What did you think of Noah Sewell, who made some big hits with speed? Is he finally healthy? — @rgbears69

ANSWER: Sewell played really well against the Dolphins, and the strong-side linebacker job looks like his to lose. He was on the field for 31 snaps and made six tackles, tied for the team high. He stuffed Dolphins running back Jaylen Wright for a 3-yard loss on fourth-and-goal from the 1 and added a forced fumble.

Sewell, a fifth-round pick in 2023 from Oregon, appeared in 22 games over the last two seasons but was clearly behind Jack Sanborn on the depth chart and totaled only 32 snaps on defense. He has been a regular on special teams with 411 snaps in that phase.

This is Sewell’s time and he needs to remain healthy. Injuries during the summer and season have slowed him. If he’s healthy, he should be able to get on the field for 20% to 30% of the defensive snaps. The Bears will employ a heavy dose of nickel packages, and Dennis Allen has shown us more dime looks in practice than we’ve seen the past couple of years. We’ve also seen some 5-2 alignments with five defensive linemen.

But there’s a shot for Sewell to make an impact, and he looks to be ahead of rookie Ruben Hyppolite II at this point.

QUESTION: When I was young, preseason games always seemed to be played on Saturday nights. Why this trend where the Bears play games at noon in August, which is arguably the hottest time of the year? — @chicagostags47

ANSWER: There has been a trend over the last six years or so for more preseason games to be played during the daytime. A few factors are in play.

First, that gives NFL Network more inventory for live broadcasts. Second, teams like the idea of providing a little more of a family atmosphere for those with younger children by playing during the middle of the day. Third, visiting teams would much prefer to be wheels up from O’Hare before 7 p.m. after a noon kickoff as opposed to 1 a.m. after a night game. That allows for a much smoother day-after-game experience during training camp.

If you’re asking me, I’d vote for nothing but noon games in the preseason.