The biggest winners from spring OTAs and minicamps for the Chicago Bears
Bears reporter on Ben Johnson coaching: 'Haven't covered anything like this before' | The Offseason
The Athletic's Adam Jahns wraps up three days of Bears minicamp where the emphasis was on details. How will Caleb Williams receive Ben Johnson's coaching, should Jaquan Brisker change his playing style after a season-ending concussion, Cole Kmet's reaction to the Bears drafting Colston Loveland and more.
The spring portion of the Chicago Bears' offseason has come and gone. Now, training camp is next up in July.
Through OTAs and two minicamps, a handful of players are in a position to carry over positive momentum into training camp or show plenty of talent for a new coaching staff which will eventually need to make roster cuts before the start of the regular season.
Here are a few winners from OTAs and minicamp before the Bears officially move on to training camp.
Dominique Robinson:
The Bears’ fifth-round pick in 2022 was supposed to be a developmental pick who had the athleticism to be a sleeper. If the Bears were going to get the most out of the Miami (Ohio) product, they would need to put the effort in.
At first, it was promising. Robinson had 1.5 sacks in his NFL debut against San Francisco, the most by a Bears rookie in their debut since 1987. After that, he had just .5 sacks across the next 50 games.
So far, the new coaching staff is determined to see what they’ve got in the quarterback-turned-receiver-turned-pass-rusher.
Robinson was running with the first-team defense during mandatory minicamp and was one of the four players that first-year head coach Ben Johnson said stood out during minicamp. On a defensive line with Montez Sweat, Grady Jarrett and Gervon Dexter Sr., that’s impressive.
If there ever was a chance for Robinson to show off his athleticism and everything he’s learned in his first three seasons in the NFL, now’s the time. The Bears are keen to give him the chance, too. So far, he's taken that shot and impressed the coaches in the spring, which is the right momentum the fourth-year player needs in a pivotal offseason.
Jaquan Brisker:
Hearing from Brisker for the first time this offseason was a revelation.
The third-year safety out of Penn State had to re-train his nervous system to get cleared and get back on the football field following a concussion that sidelined him after Week 5 for the rest of the season. He responded with a healthy set of offseason reps, including intercepting Caleb Williams during an OTA on May 28.
Brisker said he’ll continue to play the same way he did before. In order to do that, he needs to be completely healthy and stay that way.
In minicamp and OTAs, getting on the field and running with the first team was a good sign that he’s back where he needs to be. That’s a win for him and for the Bears’ defense, which is better off with a healthy Brisker.
If new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen wants to have a more attacking style of defense, he would do well to have Brisker in the mix as a player who can play the run effectively and can make high-energy plays. He has three interceptions, four forced fumbles and six sacks in three seasons.
The Bears’ defense missed him plenty last year. With him healthy, he can make sure he knows Allen’s defense through and through.
Ozzy Trapilo:
With Braxton Jones still sidelined as he recovers from ankle surgery, that left the door open in minicamp and OTAs for one of either Kiran Amegadije or Ozzy Trapilo to enter training camp positive momentum in the left tackle competition.
Trapilo seems to have made that headway. The rookie second-round pick out of Boston College started out the spring splitting time with Amegadije, but finished OTAs and minicamp consistently with the first-team offense at left tackle in situational drills against the first-team defense.
Trapilo earned praise from Johnson, who said the rookie was polished even amidst the team getting a firm grasp of the offensive playbook. That’s a boon for Trapilo, who isn’t close to winning the starting left tackle job, but it’s as good of a start as any if he wants a chance to win the job.
With his performances in OTA and minicamp practices, Trapilo has firmly put himself in a position to earn that starting job in training camp. If Trapilo continues to show he’s a consistent pass protector when the pads come on and defensive ends are bearing down, then Trapilo will start earning more consideration as a potential starter. That comes in camp, which starts well over a month from now.
Amegadije isn’t out of the mix by any means and Jones has 40 NFL starts under his belt. Beating out Jones and Amegadije isn’t a given if the pads haven’t even come on yet. Trapilo still impressed the coaches enough to earn high praise. That can’t be ignored.
JP Richardson:
If first impressions are important, then what’s to be said about lasting impressions?
Rookie wide receiver JP Richardson signed with the Bears as an undrafted free agent out of TCU. He was present through all of OTAs, rookie minicamp and mandatory minicamp. He caught the most eyes on the final day that reporters were present at Halas Hall on practice last Tuesday.
On that final day of OTAs reporters got to see drills practicing goal-line plays. Richardson turned some heads with a falling, one-handed grab for a touchdown from Caleb Williams. He also caught a few more before the end of the drill, too.
It might’ve been when most veterans were away from OTAs, but undrafted free agents can’t control when they get their opportunities. They just need to capitalize on their opportunities when they get them.
Richardson could be reminiscent of undrafted and late-round receivers to make their case in training camp by being a fan favorite. The Bears have had a few of those. This is specifically for the Dane Sanzenbacher, Tanner Gentry and Daniel Braverman fans out there.
Richardson has to show a lot more in training camp and stay consistent on top of that, but he might be the next fan favorite if he can stick around in training camp. It never hurts to finish the spring with positive momentum.