Allen was due a $5 million roster bonus Sunday and is entering the final year of the four-year extension he signed in 2020, so he was a candidate to be moved. The veteran wide receiver refused a pay cut in Los Angeles, so he'll now be paired with DJ Moore on a Bears offense that's also added D'Andre Swift and Gerald Everett in recent days and figures to be helmed by presumptive top overall pick Caleb Williams.

A second-round pick in 2021, Jenkins has had trouble staying healthy during his career and has yet to play more than 13 games in a season for Chicago, but when he's been on the field he's become a stalwart at left guard. He's now heading into the final year of his rookie contract, and a strong campaign protecting new franchise quarterback Caleb Williams should line Jenkins up for a big payday, either from the Bears or from another club in free agency next spring.

Amegadjie was injured prior to the 2024 NFL Draft and didn't participate in OTAs or minicamp with the Bears. Once the rookie third-round draft pick is cleared to practice, he will compete for a role on Chicago's offensive line, but Amegadjie's injury has left him facing an uphill battle to unseat projected starting tackles Darnell Wright or Braxton Jones, the latter of whom is currently sidelined due to an undisclosed injury of his own.

Eberflus also praised the way Odunze has worked motions and routes from Chicago's playbook into his conditioning routine, helping the rookie wide receiver learn the offense quickly. Odunze's maturity could help him earn the coaching staff's trust out of the gate and propel the 2024 first-round draft pick into a prominent role in the Bears' receiving corps alongside veterans DJ Moore and Keenan Allen.

The Bears get the extra exhibition game due to their participation in the Hall of Fame Game against the Texans on Aug. 1, so Eberflus will have the option of spreading Williams' preseason play out a bit more than he otherwise would have. If the rookie first overall pick is indeed afforded that workload, Eberflus notes it would be right in line with what the Panthers' Bryce Young, the Texans' C.J. Stroud and the Colts' Anthony Richardson all saw last preseason as top rookie signal-callers.

Patra expresses surprise that the Bears haven't opted to add a steady veteran presence to serve as an insurance policy and mentor to first overall pick Caleb Williams, who's set to start immediately. Bagent was serviceable in fill-in action last season, making five appearances as a rookie and completing 65.7 percent of his passes while scoring five total touchdowns and tossing six interceptions. With such limited experience and fifth-year pro Brett Rypien having proven to be highly inconsistent during his 10 career games, Patra opines the Bears may ultimately conclude neither quarterback is trustworthy enough as Williams' immediate backup and instead opt to bring in a free agent such as Ryan Tannehill.

Both Odunze and fellow first-round pick Caleb Williams put pen to paper on their rookie contracts Tuesday. Odunze's contract spans four years and is worth $22.7 million overall, including a $13.3 million signing bonus. The deal is fully guaranteed and contains a standard fifth-year option for 2028.

Bears rookies reported to Halas Hall for training camp Tuesday, and Williams commemorated the occasion by locking in a four-year deal worth $39.4 million, including a $25.5 million signing bonus. The contract is fully guaranteed and includes the standard fifth-year option for 2028. The talented signal-caller should participate in his first official training camp practice Saturday.

The rookie's veteran teammates have been impressed with how quickly Odunze has picked up the playbook. "He's been with the 1s right off the bat," Keenan Allen said during OTAs in June. "He's running around pretty good. His routes -- he knows what he's doing -- his responsibilities... We haven't even got to training camp and he already kind of knows where to go, where to line up, where to be at. So that's huge." Chicago has plenty of targets available for 2024 first overall pick Caleb Williams, including Allen, DJ Moore and tight end Cole Kmet, but Odunze seems ready to carve out a significant share of the volume.

The seemingly indefatigable Lewis has played in all 17 regular-season games for the last three seasons and has missed just one regular-season contest dating back to the 2017 season. Lewis' days as a pass-catching option are in the distant past -- he hasn't topped 25 receptions in a season since 2012 and has just 10 combined catches the last two campaigns -- but he's still a highly effective blocker and is looking forward to helping protect rookie first overall pick Caleb Williams.

Moore signed a three-year, $61.9 million extension with the Panthers prior to being traded to Chicago last offseason. The average value of his deal made him roughly the eighth-highest paid player at the position at the time of signing, but with the wide receiver market heating up, he is currently the 17th-highest-paid player at the position based on annual value. Moore's current deal runs through 2025, but the Bears reportedly want to reward him for his strong opening season with the team.

The 2022 third-round pick out of Tennessee has been a big disappointment so far in the NFL, catching only 11 passes over his first two seasons, but Jones could still secure a roster spot with his special-teams ability. Chicago's passing game was completely revamped this offseason, as the team drafted quarterback Caleb Williams with the first overall pick in the 2024 Draft and added Keenan Allen and ninth overall pick Rome Odunze to the wide receiver room, and if Jones can make an impact in the return game, it could begin to translate to his offensive production as well.

While a minor hamstring injury sidelined Odunze for several weeks in May, he was able to continue developing at a steady pace while absorbing knowledge from veteran receivers DJ Moore and Keenan Allen. When he has been on the field, Odunze has practiced at all three receiver spots and run a diverse route tree, and he's even been tried out on punt returns. The rookie has also picked up the offense quickly, which has caught the eye of head coach Matt Eberflus.

Allen is playing out the final year of his current contract after being traded to Chicago this offseason. There haven't been any reported negotiations between the sides, but Allen has made clear his desire to play beyond 2024 and his interest in sticking with the Bears. The team's interest in retaining Allen in the long term is less clear, as it drafted Rome Odunze in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft and will also likely be looking to extend DJ Moore next offseason, as he'll be entering the final year of his current contract.

Sweat has remained in contact with the team despite not participating in voluntary workouts, so there's little reason to believe his absence will linger into the mandatory portion of the offseason program. He was traded from Washington to Chicago during the 2023 season and subsequently signed a four-year, $98 million contract with the Bears in November.

After struggling in the media's first look at him on the field, Williams bounced back a week later, though his success came against a Chicago defense playing without a few of its regulars. Nonetheless, it's a step in the right direction for the 2024 first overall pick as he tries to build a rapport with fellow rookie Rome Odunze as well as standout receiver DJ Moore. Williams connected with Moore for a touchdown over the middle in Friday's practice, but he has yet to showcase his connection with veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen, who has sat out both of the practices open to the media.

Blair recognizes that Johnson is notably down the pecking order of the Bears' noteworthy array of skill-position players, a group that now includes Johnson's new backfield mate D'Andre Swift. Johnson already offered glimpses of his potential last season as a rookie while compiling 561 total yards and a pair of rushing touchdowns, and Blair notes Swift's production seemed to wane down the stretch last season with the Eagles, when he logged a career-high 268 touches.

It will be the Bears' first appearance on the program since its inception in 2001, and the impetus for the long-awaited debut is undoubtedly the rookie first overall pick. Williams will be the first quarterback taken at the top of the draft to be featured on Hard Knocks as a rookie since the Browns' Baker Mayfield was spotlighted in 2018 after being selected out of Oklahoma.

While Moore joked Thursday that part of his motivation was due to his workout bonus, he also noted that he wants to use practices to "turn everything into a competition with everybody" and to "build a bond" with rookies Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze. Despite inconsistent quarterback play last season, Moore recorded career highs in his first year in Chicago, finishing with 96 catches for 1,364 yards and eight touchdowns. With Williams at the helm and an upgraded wide receiver room that includes Odunze and veteran Keenan Allen, Moore could have another career year ahead of him.

Williams, the first overall pick out of USC, had a good practice earlier in the week where he helped the offense get the better of the defense, but the opposite was true Thursday. The rookie had some inconsistency during the red-zone period that included some late throws and instances of holding the ball too long. Both veteran receiver DJ Moore and safety Keith Byard encouraged Williams afterwards, emphasizing that he was simply experiencing growing pains against a very solid and experienced defense.

Odunze was the third wide receiver taken in the 2024 NFL Draft behind Marvin Harrison and Malik Nabers. While Harrison and Nabers are expected to be the top wideouts for the Cardinals and Giants, respectively, Odunze is entering an ideal situation where defenses will have to spend significant resources to keep tabs on Moore and Allen. With Odunze able to play across the line, the Washington product should be able to make an immediate impact with explosive play opportunities while catching passes from 2024 first overall pick and franchise quarterback Caleb Williams.

The No. 1 overall pick out of USC was already assumed to be atop the depth chart, but head coach Matt Eberflus made that official Friday and added that there was "no conversation" about whether or not Williams would be under center right from the onset of his career. Williams has unsurprisingly been preparing to helm the offense from Day 1, working with his private quarterback coach Will Hewlett on the fundamentals of the team's system prior to this weekend's minicamp.

The Bears didn't draft an offensive lineman until the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, and the player they selected at that point, Kiran Amegadjie, is viewed as a project. Jones is thus projected to maintain the starting left tackle role that he had for most of the 2022 and 2023 seasons. If he can get a third season as a starting left tackle under his belt, Jones would be well set up to earn a large contract, either if he remains in Chicago or joins another team.

Reed racked up over 15,000 yards and 149 touchdowns between his time at Southern Illinois, West Florida and Western Kentucky. He has a similar prospect profile to Bagent, who not only landed a roster spot with the Bears in 2023 but started four games, winning two. Bagent has an NFL track record and incumbency advantage, but Reed could push him for the backup spot behind 2024 first overall pick Caleb Williams.

Williams has a high ceiling as the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but as the executive pointed out, Allen has spent his NFL career catching passes from a pair of accurate Chargers quarterbacks. Since Williams hasn't demonstrated a consistent ability to hit the short and intermediate timing routes at which Allen excels, Allen's transition from Los Angeles to Chicago could be far from seamless.

Allen was due a $5 million roster bonus Sunday and is entering the final year of the four-year extension he signed in 2020, so he was a candidate to be moved. The veteran wide receiver refused a pay cut in Los Angeles, so he'll now be paired with DJ Moore on a Bears offense that's also added D'Andre Swift and Gerald Everett in recent days and figures to be helmed by presumptive top overall pick Caleb Williams.