NFC Notes: Bears, Jameson Williams, Lions, Vikings, Kirk Cousins

Bears

• ESPN’s Field Yates notes Bears TE Trevon Wesco had four teams place waiver claims on him including the Browns, Colts, and Bengals. 
• He also writes the Saints put a waiver claim on LB Sterling Weatherford, who landed with the Bears.   
• The Giants also made a waiver claim on Bears DL Kingsley Jonathan, per Yates. They were higher in the order, so they must have withdrawn their claim after seeing the results of their other moves. 

Lions

Lions GM Brad Holmes said that first-round WR Jameson Williams is “on track” with his recovery from a torn ACL but wouldn’t put a timeline on his return. 

“He is on track, again, I’m not going to put out a hard date, but I will say, the weeks and weeks he’s strung together with his rehab, and he’s so gifted from a genetic standpoint,” Holmes said, via Benjamin Raven of MLive. “Once he keeps that consistency going, it actually could accelerate that return that we’re thinking.”

Holmes added that they must be a “little bit conservative” with Williams’ return to the field. 

“You got to be a little bit conservative and on the safer side when it comes to forecasts and those returns to play. But hopefully, he stays on track, and hopefully, it’s sooner than later, but we’re going to continue to be smart with him. We’ve always said that from Day 1. I know he’s chomping out the bit, I mean he’ll put on a helmet right now and go out there. He would jog a slant route if he could, but he — I mean — but we’ve got to be smart because we didn’t make that move for him just for Year 1. This is a long-term investment.”

Holmes points out that they were impressed with Williams as a gunner and return specialist. 

“Well, he’s got some damn good gunner tape out there in the SEC,” Holmes said. “He’s got some good return tape out there in the SEC, so we’ll have some options.”

Vikings

Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell believes his previous relationship with Kirk Cousins as his quarterbacks’ coach with the Commanders has been beneficial this offseason. 

“Having the previous relationship with him, building that rapport with him as — I don’t want to say it will — it has served us very well early on,” O’Connell, via MadDogRadio. “I feel like we’ve got a constant dialogue between him and me, you know, we meet a lot about what we’re doing offensively, obviously his role in it, but also just big picture. I want him to feel as involved as he’s ever been in an offense and how we build it and how we’re going to try to attack opponents and I think that’s very, very important. If he and I are on the same page he can be an extension of me and vice versa, I can be an extension of him to our football team in a lot of ways that only enhance his ability to just authentically be himself, lead us and then just go play, because he’s a talented guy, man.”

O’Connell is confident that they are already “off to a great start” with Cousins. 

“Ultimately, I think we’re building an offense that hopefully can not only put Kirk in a great position to have success in those moments, but our entire group out there in the huddle with him,” said O’Connell. “I feel like we’re off to a great start, but ultimately, Sundays are what matter and we’ve got to take all this preparation and positive momentum that we have and go do it.”