Bears
The Bears traded up in the third round of the draft last year to add RB David Montgomery and give an inconsistent running game a spark. It did not go according to plan as Montgomery averaged just 3.7 yards per carry despite getting 242 carries. Montgomery promised he’s “going to be better this year for this team” going into his second season.
“An entire year of me being in an offense,” Montgomery said via the Chicago Sun-Times’ Patrick Finley. “Me not being solely a complete rookie and me going in with the unknown that, ‘I don’t know any of the offense,’ or me going in with the unknown that I don’t know if I’ll play or not. [Or] me going with the unknown of not knowing if I will get carries or not, or worrying about all the small stuff that doesn’t even matter anymore. No, I can really get to playing football now because I’m a year in and I’m a lot more confident. I’m ready to go have fun now.”
- Bears QB coach John DeFilippo confirmed the team would split reps “50/50” between QBs Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles, with Trubisky getting the first snaps. (Adam Jahns)
- Bears OC Bill Lazor said the team doesn’t have a favorite for the job going into camp: “You just have to let the thing play out. You’ve got to let guys earn it.” (Twitter)
- He did say, though, he’s optimistic Trubisky can rise to the challenge: “I feel very good about the talks we’ve had. His future is in his hands. It’s up to you. I think he’s got a lot of good football ahead of him.” (Mark Grote)
- DeFilippo said one of the points of emphasis with Trubisky will be fixing his footwork, as he tended to start games well before becoming sloppy later on. (Dan Wiederer)
- Bears OL coach Juan Castillo says James Daniels has added ten pounds as he moves back to guard from center: “James Daniels is smart. He’s an athlete.” (Kevin Fishbain)
- Bears WR coach Mike Furrey is confident 35-year-old WR Ted Ginn still has plenty left in the tank for Chicago: “I wouldn’t stand on the table for Ted Ginn to come here if I didn’t think he had anything left in the tank. … This kid can still run.” (Fishbain)
Lions
- Per ESPN’s Michael Rothstein, Lions OC Darrell Bevell confirmed DB Jamal Agnew has been in receiver meetings and will make the switch to wide receiver fulltime.
- While Lions TE T.J. Hockenson is running routes, Bevell said he might not be 100 percent just yet, though the 2019 first-round pick is “well on his way to being there” and Detroit is happy with his rehab. (Chris Burke)
- Bevell called Lions second-round RB D’Andre Swift a complete back and added: “[We’ll be] able to do a lot of things with him.” (Tim Twentyman)
- Lions DC Cory Undlin said he doesn’t have any concerns about first-round CB Jeffrey Okudah hitting a rookie wall. (Rothstein)
Packers
When the Packers drafted QB Jordan Love in the first round, it caused some speculation that it would spark a problem with incumbent starting QB Aaron Rodgers, who has a reputation in some circles as mercurial. However, Packers QB coach Luke Getsy says Rodgers has been tremendous as they move into their second season in HC Matt LaFleur‘s offense.
“His input through this offseason has maybe been the best I’ve been around,” Getsy said via Wes Hodkiewicz of the official team website. “We’ve included him in so much and we needed him to be included in so much. He’s been huge. He’s clarified things for us, we’ve clarified things for him. I feel like there’s no question that we’re moving into this summer with our staff being on the same page with him, as good as I’ve ever been with him. I think he’s in a great place.”
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