The Chicago Bears weekend rookie minicamp is in the books. I wrote about why this all just feels different today. Here’s a look (and the link to the full story).

I’ve said it, and I’ll continue to say it: this chapter of Chicago Bears football feels different.

Perhaps it’s because the last time we did this, we were in a pandemic, and when the Bears jumped up to No. 11 to select Justin Fields in April 2011, everything felt different. Justin Fields’ first press conference at rookie mini camp was via Zoom. Matt Nagy wasn’t even on the field to witness it because he had been a close contact in COVID-19 trace testing.

On Friday, the media room at Halas Hall was packed to the gills with reporters angling for a look at the newest quarterback of the Chicago Bears. Williams said everything right and ended his presser with a “Da Bears.”

Perhaps it feels different because it is different.

“No conversation,” coach Matt Eberflus said on Friday when asked if there’s any question about who the starting quarterback is in Chicago. “He’s the starter.”

That’s different.

When the Bears’ previous regime did this song and dance with Justin Fields, they insisted on him competing with Andy Dalton, forcing valuable reps away from their first-round quarterback all summer before throwing him to the wolves a month into the season.

Before that, another coaching staff insisted that Mitchell Trubisky compete with Mike Glennon until Glennon failed miserably, and Trubisky was inserted as the starting quarterback.

But this time, it’s the Caleb Williams show, and there’s no question about it. He’s the man in Chicago. He’ll get all the first-team reps, and he’ll get them with a star-studded supporting cast that features D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen, and Rome Odunze. There are no awkward conversations, just full steam ahead toward the future for Caleb Williams and the Bears. A future that is now the present after Williams logged his first two practices in navy and orange over the weekend.

Full Story:

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What’s on deck?

• Cubs @ Braves | 6:20 PM CT | Marquee