From 'Hard Knocks' to specific development: 5 storylines to watch at the start of Chicago Bears training camp

CHICAGO - We're just hours away at this point.

The Chicago Bears are set to open their 2024 training camp on July 19 at Halas Hall, kick starting a season of excitement, intrigue and massive potential. There's plenty to take note of in a preseason like this.

Here are the storylines to watch at the start of Chicago Bears training camp this week, including the spotlight that will be on one of the Bears' rookies.

How will Caleb Williams fare in full contact?

Through the offseason programs, Caleb Williams has impressed his teammates.

Just ask one of the defenders he was going up against in All-Pro cornerback Jaylon Johnson.

"As advertised. Special." Johnson said on Colin Cowherd's The Herd this week. "Something I’ve never seen."

Special is good. But, there's also a bit of a caveat to that; there wasn't any live pass rush baring down on Williams during the offseason programs.

It remains to be seen how Williams fares in full contact and against a Bears' defense that is aiming to be one of the best in the league.

There was clear and present improvement in Williams' game this offseason, but with a few weeks off to study and a rest it'll be interesting to see where he starts off in the first few days of training camp.

If the Bears want to take a massive step forward from a 7-10 season in 2023, Williams won't have to be an All-Pro. But, he will have to play mistake-free football.

Learning how to do that at the NFL level starts in camp.

How will the Bears offensive line develop?

Right now, the Bears offensive line is a point of emphasis.

There weren't any major changes, but there were enough to mean the Bears will have to focus on the line's development in training camp.

Lucas Patrick is no longer at center, meaning that battle could come down to free agent signee Cameron Shelton and trade acquisition Ryan Bates. Cody Whitehair is in Las Vegas, meaning the Bears' depth loses valuable experience.

The good news is offensive line coach Chris Morgan is back as one of the holdovers from the last offensive staff. He'll oversee a line that has continuity with Teven Jenkins, Braxton Jones, Darnell Wright and Nate Davis. 

Morgan should be overseeing a group that has a chance to be a top-half unit in the league.

The ceiling of the Bears' offensive line this year might not be as high as some of the teams in the league, but the unit has a chance to be the reason the Bears win at the point of attack.

Will it take long for the Bears' offense to learn Shane Waldron's offense?

Moving on from Luke Getsy was a multi-faceted move. Not only did the Bears need to hire his replacement, but they needed to do so and make sure the players get up to speed with his offense by the time the season starts with a rookie quarterback.

No pressure, really.

What's helped is that Williams got a head start on learning the Bears' offense during the offseason. Not all the Bears' acquisitions got the same luxury, however.

Keenan Allen, Rome Odunze, Gerald Everett and D'Andre Swift, to name a few, also need to understand their roles.

The potential the Bears have is evident, especially considering DJ Moore and Cole Kmet are already in the fold. If the players can pick up the offense quickly, it only remains to be seen how effective the Bears can be come Week 1.

How will "Hard Knocks" look at Halas Hall?

Run from it, avoid it, "Hard Knocks" arrives all the same.

This time, the Bears will have "Hard Knocks" taking a peek into the Bears, specifically Caleb Williams' first training camp in Halas Hall.

Ideally, not much will change with the Bears. The biggest difference for the players will be the massive amounts of microphones they will face on a daily basis.

For the rest of us, we'll see what happens behind the scenes with the Bears in a training camp.

We're fully expecting Williams' personality to be on display in each episode.

Will the defensive line be up to the task?

Right now, the Bears have Montez Sweat and a handful of question marks.

Justin Jones has departed, so how will Gervon Dexter Sr. fare as the Bears' 3-technique?

Can DeMarcus Walker be productive enough opposite Sweat as a pass rusher? In the same vein, can rookie Austin Booker earn snaps as a situational pass rusher and take advantage of those opportunities?

Can Andrew Billings hold up next to Dexter Sr. with Jones no longer in the fold? Can 2023 third-round pick Zacch Pickens earn more snaps?

These are questions that will be answered in live action, specifically with preseason games. We'll get a better picture of what the rotation will look like in training camp, but the defensive line is a central part of Eberflus' defense.

Defensive success starts there.