When the Bears’ pass-catchers were done with their throwing session at USC this spring, Caleb Williams invited them out to dinner.
They went to The Bird Streets Club, a private club of which Williams is a member, on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood. When dinner was finished, they walked downstairs into a private room, where the quarterback had arranged for the Bears’ passing highlights to be played on a loop from a big-screen television.
Williams and his pass catchers relived all their completions last year, from the mundane to the amazing. When tight end Colston Loveland caught the 58-yard touchdown pass that eventually beat the Bengals, they marveled at the play — and head coach Ben Johnson sprinting down the sideline.
There were years when the Bears’ passing clips wouldn’t have lasted very long — or have been very fun to watch. This year, the Bears hope the highlight reel grows even longer.
Williams has the weapons to do it, with a better roster of pass-catchers than either Mitch Trubisky or Justin Fields ever had. They have a chance to be the Bears’ best pass-catching group since the 2013 team that boasted wideouts Alshon Jeffrey (1,421 receiving yards) and Brandon Marshall (1,295), tight end Martellus Bennett (759) and running back Matt Forte (594).
If receiver Luther Burden and tight end Colston Loveland make the leap many inside Halas Hall believe they will in Year 2 — and if the Bears stay healthy — this year’s group should trump last season’s.
“So much talent … ” Loveland said after Thursday’s practice. “Just so versatile, so many guys that can do a bunch of different things. That obviously benefits us a lot. And there’s so many weapons, it’s going to be tough for defenses to figure out what they want to do.”
Their health got more complicated a week ago, when receiver Rome Odunze walked off the practice field during a walk-through with a right calf injury. He was limited in Thursday’s practice report for the second-straight day. Friday’s practice should go a long way toward forecasting his availability in Sunday’s opener against the Panthers. Odunze missed five games last year and was hampered in more with chronic foot issues.
Burden, who hurt his groin during training camp, and rookie receiver Zavion Thomas, who hurt his knee around the same time, are both absent from the injury report. Throw in receivers Kalif Raymond and Jahdae Walker, tight ends Cole Kmet and Sam Roush, and running backs D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai, and there will be no shortage of targets. The Bears’ pass catchers are a basketball team, with small, quick players as well as explosive leapers and big bodies.
The Bears signed Raymond and drafted Thomas as part of their push to add speed; at one point during training camp, the Bears tracked seven receivers running at least 21 mph during practice.
“The first thing I see is speed, as far as guys rolling downfield, running up on cats, making them back up … “ quarterbacks coach J.T. Barrett said. “I tell them all the time, we’ve got, like, prototype tight ends — thoroughbreds as they’re running downfield.”
Johnson notoriously said he wanted to buy Burden stock. Burden, meanwhile, predicted big things for Loveland.
“I see a breakout year,” Burden said.
Each player’s usage will vary from week-to-week. Johnson — and, by extension, Williams — will have options.
“It’s up to them who’s going to be in on this many plays. …” Williams said. “You’ve got to block. You’ve got to run off the ball. You’ve got to do your job. You’ve got to know where you are. You’ve got to know where you need to line up. And so, I think, like I said, it’s up to them. And we’ve got some good guys out there.”