Five takeaways from the first day of the Chicago Bears Rookie Minicamp

2. The Williams-Odunze connection will be special

After spending time together working out before the draft, the Bears top two draft picks were able to continue building their connection on and off the field during the first day of minicamp.

Wide receiver Rome Odunze discussed heavily how big of an impact it is to walk alongside Williams as the two learn the offense together and get integrated into the locker room. Those things don’t go unnoticed and helps create a stronger bond.

On the field, the play-making ability speaks for itself in regards to both players with Williams and Odunze showing off why they were each Top-10 selections in the draft.

"He's explosive for his size, explosive route runner and things like that," Williams said about Odunze. "He's really smooth in and out of routes and transitions. Working with him, it's been great. It's been awesome. I'm excited for what's next."

"He's very talented and I got to see that when I was playing against him in college," Odunze said about Williams. "It's really effortless for him. He can do a lot of things that other quarterbacks may think is hard, effortlessly. He continues to improve that every time I see him. So, you always have to be ready and always have to be prepared."

3. Kiran Amegadjie will in fact be missing some time

This was an expected decision after the Bears third round pick missed the end of his 2023 season with a quad injury. However, the news isn’t as bad as it could've been.

According to Eberflus, Kiran Amegadjie will be missing the bulk of the offseason program as he rehabs from his injury but the expectation is that he can hopefully return to the field by the time training camp rolls around.

Even though he wasn’t on the field doing drills, Amegadjie was still present outside Halas Hall working alongside offensive line coach Chris Morgan. Once training camp gets here, we'll get a better idea of how Amegadjie will look in this offense and what position the Bears look to start him out at.

4. Austin Booker already looks the part

After trading back into the 2024 NFL Draft to select defensive end Austin Booker in the fifth round, the Bears were once again betting on the upside. Due to his limited experience on the field, Booker's name was called much later than it should have been considering his production and ceiling was still unbelievable.

"He's got a lot of developing to do in terms of his physical side of it," Eberflus said before practice while speaking to the media. "He's gonna be so excited and I'm gonna be excited to see him move around today for sure."

After arriving on the first day of practice, Booker already looked a little more bulkier and stronger than his playing frame at Kansas. It's already a good look for the rookie who will be aiming to become a first-year starter for the Bears this season.

5. Tory Taylor will be a major weapon

When the Bears drafted Tory Taylor in the fourth round, there were many skeptics, but after the first day of minicamp, it already looks like a steal for the Bears.

"He's obviously a darn good player," Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower said days before minicamp began. "This is not your everyday normal punter that comes out and gets drafted. One of the best punters I've ever seen."

It only took one day on the field for Taylor to wow the media folks in attendance as well working on his situational punting and showing off some distance.

Ideally, the Bears won't be using Taylor much in a perfect world and instead the offense will have complete drives ending in points. However, this isn’t a perfect world and Taylor's services will be called upon numerous times in 2024 and beyond.

When it's needed, it's nice to know you have a player who can be a legitimate weapon on that side of the ball when it comes to flipping the field and pinning opponents.