The gang of family and buddies spherical Gervon Dexter was screaming so loudly when Matt Eberflus took over the Chicago Bears cellphone that it took just a few tries to alter greetings.
Ultimately Dexter, the Florida defensive cope with the Bears drafted throughout the second spherical Friday evening time, delivered his message to his new coach.
“I’m prepared, man,” Dexter acknowledged throughout the dialog captured on video. “I promise, I’m prepared.”
Eberflus replied: “I do know you’ll be. That’s proper. You’ve simply bought to get your observe footwear on, brother.”
That last line has grow to be an Eberflus refrain over the previous 16 months as he greets new players and lets them know they need to be in type and capable of go arduous after they report for workout routines.
For a bunch of newest players that options Dexter, that begins at rookie minicamp Friday and Saturday as a result of the Bears take a look at their 10 draft picks and a slew of undrafted free brokers and tryout players.
For the ultimate 4 months given that Bears accomplished the season 3-14 and secured the No. 1 draft select, regular supervisor Ryan Poles has been throughout the spotlight.
He engineered the commerce of the very best select to the Carolina Panthers for huge receiver DJ Moore and various picks. He signed a free-agent group that included linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards, guard Nate Davis and defensive end DeMarcus Walker. And he put collectively a draft class headlined by Tennessee offensive cope with Darnell Wright with the No. 10 select plus three Day 2 picks in Dexter, Miami cornerback Tyrique Stevenson and South Carolina defensive cope with Zacch Pickens.
Poles nonetheless has work to do. He provided a reminder Saturday evening time, when requested regarding the lack of depth at defensive end, that teaching camp is months away and he nonetheless has money to spend.
However this weekend marks a form of passing of the baton from Poles to Eberflus and his instructing employees as they research the roster Poles has constructed and begin attempting to type it into one factor increased than a three-win group.
That begins with various rookies who may need a possibility for principal having fun with time this yr, along with Wright, the presumptive starter at correct cope with, and Dexter and Pickens, who might very effectively be pushed proper right into a rotation on the defensive place. Eberflus confirmed last yr he’s eager to play rookies with safety Jaquan Brisker, cornerback Kyler Gordon and linebacker Jack Sanborn.
“That’s why I employed these coaches as academics. All of them have a coronary heart of service they usually love to show they usually’re good academics,” Eberflus acknowledged. “We pleasure ourselves on rising these youthful guys, and we’re not afraid to put youthful guys in there. If guys are okay to start out out, we’re going to put them in there and play them.
“We’re excited in regards to the competitors with the younger guys and the fellows we added final 12 months. We’ll see the place it goes. We’re going to play with one of the best guys.”
Eberflus spent the ultimate 4 months aiding Poles and his employees in determining which players will be the suitable match for his group.
For just a few of the offseason, Bears coaches devoted their mornings to soccer and spent their afternoons serving to the scouting division put collectively with out spending a dime firm and the draft. Eberflus tapped into his college scouting roots when he accompanied Poles to some skilled days, not solely watching players nevertheless talking to their coaches to get a better actually really feel for whom the Bears will be drafting.
Poles and assistant GM Ian Cunningham acknowledged their understanding of what the coaches wanted in terms of custom and scheme matches helped them actually really feel comfortable all through the pre-draft course of throughout the group’s second offseason collectively.
“Once we met a pair years in the past and we began to construct our relationship, it was fairly evident early on that we coveted the identical model,” Eberflus acknowledged of working with Poles. “We coveted the identical gamers. That’s a pure match for him and (me). We’re simply persevering with that and persevering with to develop collectively.”
That collaboration resulted throughout the Bears drafting seven defensive players, along with Dexter and Pickens, who every may slot in at three-technique — a key place in Eberflus’ safety — or nostril cope with. The Bears moreover picked Kennesaw State defensive cope with Travis Bell throughout the seventh spherical.
“These guys are going to be dynamic,” Eberflus acknowledged. “They’re large, they’re prolonged, they’re fast, they’re athletic, so it’s thrilling in order so as to add these guys into the middle of our safety.
“We actually really feel that’s an important half to taking part in good run protection and in addition having the ability to push the pocket, dent the pocket inside. To have some large athletes in there, it’s actually tougher to throw round these guys, too, within the cross rush, so it’s thrilling.”
Eberflus moreover has a pair of newest cornerbacks to guage in Stevenson and fifth-round select Terell Smith from Minnesota. The Bears felt strongly adequate about Stevenson that they traded a fifth-round select to maneuver up 5 spots to get him at No. 56. Poles acknowledged Stevenson seemingly will compete for a spot at outside nook alongside Gordon, who carried out outside and at nickel as a rookie, and Jaylon Johnson.
“Bodily” was the first phrase Eberflus used to elucidate Stevenson and Smith.
“They wish to hit,” he acknowledged. “They’ve bought quickness, instincts and strike. And so they’re HITS precept guys. Ryan and his workers did an impressive job … of actually figuring out that trait to carry these guys into the constructing.”
Eberflus’ first season as a head coach bought right here with an understanding that he was working with considered one of many worst rosters throughout the NFL no matter having a promising youthful quarterback in Justin Fields. So an enormous part of the easiest way Eberflus evaluated his job last season was whether or not or not he and his instructing employees laid the inspiration for the suitable custom, work ethic and magnificence of play.
With upgrades at many positions, Eberflus and his employees now ought to assemble upon that foundation, from rising an prolonged document of attention-grabbing youthful players to figuring out put their new playmakers in positions to succeed.
“We now have all these gamers now,” Eberflus acknowledged earlier this spring on the NFL householders conferences. “How can we put them in place within the crucial moments?”
With a better picture of their roster and organized group actions on the docket this month, Eberflus and his coaches now can dive into that work.
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