Three early takeaways from Bears OTAs

Johnson talking to 1st round pick Loveland (David Banks - USA Today Sports)

Dustin Riese - Senior Writer - 8 hours ago

Although the NFL Season is still several months out, most teams are starting their early pre-camp preparations as the OTA programs have gotten underway. That is no different for Chicago, as the Bears are just beginning their offseason OTAs to bring a brand new attitude to Training camp and, eventually, the regular season.

Still, very early in the OTA process, several things are standing to stick out as you have already gotten a sense of just how much different this team is this season. Whether that translates to wins or not remains to be seen, but at this point, the Bears are not only focused, but they seem hungrier than ever to turn this franchise around and get back to playing playoff football.

Luther Burden nursing a soft tissue injury

When the Bears elected to draft Luther Burden in the second round of this year's draft, it was met with mixed reviews. Sure, Burden is a dynamic playmaker capable of becoming a massive threat in this offense, but Chicago also had other needs they could've addressed, which is why some fans feel he was a reach.

With Keenan Allen still on the open market and not expected to return, Burden has a chance to not only become a massive threat but could emerge as the No. 3 Wide Receiver option this Season and form a nice trio with DJ Moore and Rome Odunze. For that to happen, Burden needs to be able to show what he can do, and right now, that is nothing, as he has been out the past few days with a soft tissue injury.

Although the injury doesn't seem serious, anytime you miss OTAs with an injury, there are some concerns, as you will be a little behind the rest of your team in terms of chemistry. Burden is still in a great place after going through rookie mini-camp, and the rest of the wide receiver room won't hesitate to get him up to speed.

Ben Johnson brings the intensity

From the moment the Bears named Ben Johnson as their next head coach, you had that feeling that this was going to be different. Not only has Johnson been one of the best offensive minds in the game the past few seasons, but he is one of those soft-spoken guys who just has that IT factor.

Soft-spoken or not, Johnson isn't going to hesitate to let his players have it, and there were plenty of mental mistakes the past few days, which resulted in Johnson getting a little fired up. According to media reports out of OTAs, Johnson had to stop practice to let a player know they made a mistake and called out Cole Kmet after he lined up wrong on the offense.

It's that intensity that this organization has lacked, and now that it seems to be coming back, these players can finally be held accountable. That alone is a big reason to keep an eye on Bears camp all season, as Johnson's intensity level will bring out the best in these guys and could ultimately lead to some intense practices throughout the summer.

The backup QB job may not be as straightforward as expected

When the Bears brought in veteran quarterback Case Keenum on a one-year, three-million-dollar deal, many thought he would come into camp as the backup quarterback and then latch on to Caleb Williams to give him all the knowledge he needs to be successful.

Well, plans can change, and right now, the backup quarterback job may not be as one-sided as initially expected, as Tyson Bagent is splitting the reps with Keenum right now at a 50/50 split. Had this been last season's team, where Bagent was in the same system, you would have to think he would be the favorite going into the season.

However, with a new coach comes a new offense, and both quarterbacks are trying to learn the offense. That could be a big reason for the 50/50 split right now, as they want their guys to know the playback in depth before going in the backup direction they want to go with.