Bears
After opting out of the 2020 season, RB Damien Williams realized how much he wants to play in the league.
“That whole year was… man,” Williams said, via Jason Leiser of the Chicago Sun-Times. “Being home and watching it really made me feel like this was something I wanted to do as long as possible — until the wheels fall off. I wasn’t ready to sit down at home.”
“I feel like one of the rookie kids. First day back, new guy in the building — I’m just embracing it all right now.”
Bears HC Matt Nagy said Williams’ experience with the Chiefs makes him a great fit with the offense.
“He’s very well rounded,” Nagy said. “It’s just a really good fit. The [Kansas City] coaches spoke really well of him… and Damien’s come in here like a true pro and just digested everything that we’re doing.”
“He’s a great complement to what we’re trying to do. It’ll be fun when we get to the preseason to see how all these guys do, but there’s a really good vibe right now.”
Lions
When GM Brad Holmes and HC Dan Campbell took over the Lions this year, they quickly recognized they faced a pretty steep rebuilding challenge. Since it was impossible to address all of their needs in just one offseason, they focused on where they could get the most overall impact, and to them, that meant turning the offensive line into even more of a strength by drafting OT Penei Sewell in the first round.
“We had a lot of work to do when Dan and I got in this chair just on the roster. A ton of work to do on both sides of the ball,” Holmes said via Tim Twentyman of the team website. “It’s easy to say more work defensively, but we had work to do at all the skill positions, especially when Matt (Stafford) wanted the trade. There was so much work we had to do that we were like, ‘OK, offensive line, if there’s anything that can help out anything surrounding it, it’s that.’
“That was obviously already a strength, but how can we maximize that strength and make it more powerful? That’s the direction we went. Couldn’t be more thrilled with landing Penei. We definitely feel good (about the offensive line).”
Holmes is also well aware that QB Jared Goff played his best ball with the Rams when the offensive line in front of him was ironclad.
“I know Jared is really excited about our offensive line,” he said.
Packers
Packers DE Rashan Gary said he’s still committed to improving and added that he has a lot of work to do this offseason.
“I’m not done,” Gary said, via Mike Spofford of the team’s official site. “While I did make a lot of jumps, I’m still hungry and there’s still room to improve. (I’m) just keeping everything full throttle from last year, not trying to slow down – not one bit. I’ve still got a lot of chipping away to do before the season comes. I’m happy to get back in my lab, get back in the cave and work.”
Packers HC Matt LaFleur believes Gary is going to be a “big-time player” for the organization.
“You talk about a guy that puts everything into whatever it is he’s doing … and you see it paying off for him,” LaFleur said. “He’s going to be a big-time player for us, and I think he’s going to be a big-time player in this league for a really long time.”
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