LAKE FOREST, Ill. (WGN) — Whether it was more Caleb Williams, the Kliff Kingsbury connection, or TJ Edwards breaking down his rendition of the Peanut Punch, the Chicago Bears were back at Halas Hall Monday for walkthroughs ahead of their primetime matchup against the Washington Commanders.
Coming off a Week 7 bye, the fryers are revved back up, and while the lion’s share of conversations will surround Caleb Williams versus Jayden Daniels, plenty of headlines extend beyond the matchup between the two rookie quarterbacks selected with the top two picks in last year’s NFL draft.
There’s also the chess match set to unfold between Kliff Kingsbury and Shane Waldron, injury concerns, how the Bears’ defense prepares for Daniels and Nate Davis trade rumors to unpack in the days ahead.
The Kingsbury Connection
As those who follow the Bears may remember, it wasn’t too long ago that Kingsbury and Waldron were both considered finalists for the offensive coordinator gig in Chicago.
As time would have it, Waldron was chosen for the job and Kingsbury later landed an OC role with the Commanders, but Kingsbury’s success with Daniels from the get-go will have eyeballs zeroed in on who can draw up a better game plan for their rookie quarterback.
Heading into their Week 8 matchup, Washington ranks first in the NFL in points per game (31.1) and rushing touchdowns (14), and second in the NFL in rushing yards per game (165.4) and total touchdowns (23).
Chicago ranks tied for 12th in total touchdowns (18) and rushing touchdowns (7), but are coming off back-to-back 35-plus-point performances against the Carolina Panthers and Jacksonville Jaguars.
“I’ve always respected [Kingsbury], going against him over the years,” Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said Monday. “[I] respect his offense and the way he finds space on the field, his commitment to the run game.
“But again, it was a pleasure to meet him personally. [We] had a great visit for a good amount of time during that interview and it was very informative to both parties.”
Kingsbury’s connections to Chicago also go back beyond interviewing for the offensive coordinator position.
Before rejoining the NFL coaching ranks, Kingsbury had inside access to Williams’ at the University of Southern California, where he served as the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner’s quarterbacks coach, but that didn’t come up much in conversation when he was interviewing for a job with the Bears, according to Eberflus.
“We didn’t ask too many questions about it. [Kingsbury] just gave us positive reviews for Caleb, like all the people did,” Eberflus said. “When we talked to him, it was much of the same, but it was more about ball [in general].”
Bears defense prepares for a challenge
As Chicago prepares to take on a team that features one of the league’s best offenses, they’ll be looking to get a few key contributors back healthy on defense before the game and focus on a couple of areas that have hindered them from getting stops a third of the way through the season.
Ebeflus said safety Jaquan Brisker remains in concussion protocol with “a couple more steps to go, but [he] looks good,” while Kyler Gordon continues to work through a hamstring injury and Tyrique Stevenson works to recover from a calf injury. Both will be re-evaluated on Wednesday.
Despite injuries to key players across the secondary, the Bears defense has been sturdy and then some through six games.
Chicago ranks fourth in the NFL in opponents points per game (16.8) and has given up 14.7 points per game over their last three contests. Against the pass, they’re tops in passer rating against (72.8), while also ranking fourth in passing yards allowed (1,212), fifth in passing yards per attempt (6.4) and ninth in completion percentage allowed (62.8%).
“I feel like we’ve played well, done some really good things in all facets of the game,” TJ Edwards said Monday. “But I think for us, we know that we can be a lot better. It’s a group that’s not complacent with anything that we do.”
Against the run, the Bears have surrendered the seventh-fewest rushing first downs (37) and the eighth-fewest yards in the NFL (672), but rank 21st in yards allowed per carry (4.6).
Edwards declined to talk specifics the defense is looking to clean up heading into Washington, but he did mention two areas they are looking at from a broad perspective.
“I think just in general, giving up some big plays at times, and getting teams behind the sticks in a way, is something we’re looking at too,” Edwards said. “From top to bottom, we know there’s just a couple things that each group can do better, including myself so, we’re excited to get things going.”
Nate Davis on the trading block?
According to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Davis is one of two Bears players generating buzz on the trade market.
Rapoport said Khalil Herbert and Davis have found themselves in trade discussions around the league, with the NFL insider saying Herbert could be looked at as a plug and play option for teams depleted by injuries at running back, and Davis serving as a key depth piece for a team in need of offensive line help.
Eberflus was asked the Davis trade rumors Monday and declined to speak on specific players, but he did comment on the nature of trade rumors that come around this time of the year.
“During this time, when you’re leading up to the trade deadline, you’re always going to have guys that are in conversations for those trade talks,” Eberflus said. “I’m not going to talk about particular players or players that we’re looking at potentially, but that’s always going to be the case. It’s a part of the business.”
The NFL trade deadline is Nov. 5 at 3 p.m. CT.
TJ on the Peanut Punch
Let’s hop in the Hot Tub Time Machine and go back to an exquisite example of the Bears executing on defense, shall we?
It’s the beginning of the second half of Chicago’s Week 6 matchup against the Jaguars. The Bears are up 14-3, but Jacksonville has the ball to start the third quarter.
After a 33-yard kickoff return from Tank Bigsby, Trevor Lawrence drops back on first down and hits tight end Evan Engram for what looked like was going to be a 24-yard gain.
Unfortunately for Engram and the Jaguars, Edwards flew in and delivered a picture-perfect Peanut Punch before his knee touched the turf, and Elijah Hicks picked up the fumble and returned it 19 yards in the opposite direction to set up Chicago with prime field position on offense.
“First, it’s just kind of trying to be around the ball as much as you can,” Edwards said, breaking down the play. “[It was] kind of a broken play there where they found a little hole and it’s one of those [plays] where the guy’s going down, and normally when they’re going down to the ground, they kind of have to release one of their arms from the ball that braces themselves for the ground.
“So, anytime you can throw a shot in there, even if it’s blind, some good things will come from it.”
The Peanut Punch is a moniker that pays tribute to former Bears cornerback Charles “Peanut” Tillman, who made a name for himself by (sometimes literally) punching at the football to force a fumble.
Edwards acknowledged the growth in popularity behind trying to punch the football loose from the arms of ball carriers around the league in recent years, saying it’s a product of being intentionally coached.
He also said it’s been a little while since he’s gotten one off as clean as the one he had on Engram.
“You’ve seen it for like, year after year now, becoming a bigger thing because it’s being coached well,” Edwards said. “We rep it all the time here in practice, and like I said, anytime you can throw a shot and just hope and see what happens, it [can] work out … I haven’t had one of those, like true ones, since probably college.
“It was cool to finally, actually hit the ball and [have] it pop out. You go through all those times where you do attempts and you’re just hitting the guy in the ribs or something like that.”
The Chicago Bears take on the Washington Commanders at 3:25 p.m. CT on Sunday at FedEx Field in Washington D.C.