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NFC Notes: Elgton Jenkins, Caleb Williams, Jon Gruden, Bears, Lions, Packers, Vikings

July 30, 2025 by NFL Trade Rumors

Bears

So far, Bears QB Caleb Williams and the new-look offense under HC Ben Johnson have not been turning many heads in training camp, which has left fans in Chicago uneasy given the long history of lofty promises and mediocre results on that side of the ball. However, Johnson explained that he’s making it a point to throw as many challenging situations at Williams as possible early in camp to see what he’s able to handle. Johnson remains encouraged by the potential he sees in the former No. 1 pick. 

“I saw a guy with immense potential. Every week he made throws that made you drop your jaw a little bit. Hell, I experienced it when I was standing on the sideline when he played against us,” Johnson said via Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. “But what you also see is a lack of anticipation at times, which — that comes with reps — you gotta do things over and over again. That’s not abnormal for a rookie quarterback.

“And it’s some of the presnap stuff he could improve on, the shifts, the motions. There were times when his eyes weren’t quite in the right spot. Even though I hadn’t been in the building, you kind of know where he should be looking and it wasn’t that way. That’s where we’ve been pretty hard on him since we’ve been in the building.”

Johnson plans to start dialing in and building the offense around the things Williams does well in a couple of weeks, by which point the hope is Williams will have banked some valuable experiences and made real progress in the areas the team has spotlighted as needing growth. 

“Right now, Ben’s just testing to see, how much can I give this kid, what is the retention level, how much in the presnap operation can he handle in terms of the motions and making those calls at the line of scrimmage, the protections,” Bears GM Ryan Poles said. “Going back to last year, there’s some things he never did in college that’s a part of this game, that a lot of rookies have to go through. There’s a lot of verbiage, a lot of things at the line of scrimmage. It’s just getting those things down. This is a different system, but I’ve seen a huge improvement from last year to this year just in terms of the operation. Ben’s system, there’s a lot there. So I think it’s just overload him now, figure out what he can do, and go from there. And then build it year after year after year.”

Lions

Lions OC John Morton played wide receiver for the Packers when Jon Gruden was their WR coach, and Morton’s first job as an assistant coach was for Gruden on the Raiders. Now, Gruden is a presence at Lions’ training camp to help Morton as much as he can.

“That’s what this business is all about, I had a lot of people help me,” Gruden told reporters, via Pro Football Talk. “If he benefited by being around me a little bit I’m happy to hear it. He is a hard-working guy. For all the Detroit fans, what you don’t see is the work ethic. This guy is nuts. People thought I was nuts, this guy is nuts. He loves it, he’s a creative guy, he’s a great competitor. I can’t wait to see the Lions open the season.”

Packers

Packers veteran OL Elgton Jenkins says he is focused on switching positions this offseason and has his contract in the back of his mind for now.

“They had a conversation, and obviously the conversation was going on for a long period of time,” Jenkins said of his agent and the team, via Rob Demovsky of ESPN. “But right now where we’re at is focusing on the being the best player I can be. Been playing this game for 20-some years, seven years in the league. I’m very confident in my ability and what I can do. The financial side, I know that’s going to come. Right now, it’s just how can we build chemistry within the O-line to get better and as an offense.”

“There was definitely some rust that had to be knocked off,” Jenkins added on his first practice. “I’m about to get the ins and outs of things, but I played it in college, got drafted here as a center. It’s not going to be anything different. I played it last year, played it a couple games early in my career, so it’s not going to be nothing crazy, and I feel like I’ll be a great center in this league.”

  • Jenkins said he’s considered a move to center late in his career for a while: “I feel like the sky’s the limit, honestly. I can be an All-Pro, Pro Bowl. Same guy. Probably even better, honestly.” (Ryan Wood)
  • Jenkins told the Packers last year he wanted to return to his college position, as he thought it would help the team get its best five offensive linemen on the field. (Matt Schneidman)

Vikings

Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell is excited about the team’s running game now that RB Jordan Mason is joining veteran RB Aaron Jones after being traded to Minnesota by the 49ers. Jones also mentioned that he will do whatever it takes to help Mason, as the two are likely to split carries.

“We’ve got truly a combination that will cause a lot of problems,” O’Connell said, via Kevin Seifert of ESPN. “Between having two great backs that are different body types, maybe different skill sets. But they’re complete backs. … There’s a lot of things schematically that we’re going to try. And then, as we get towards the season, what gives us advantages?”

“I’m going to be his biggest cheerleader,” Jones added. “And I’m used to splitting snaps. When you do split snaps, it raises both guys’ games. It’s like, you see him do good and you hype him up, and then you’re like, ‘ All right bro, watch what I do now.’ Or he’ll tell you, ‘Hey, now it’s your turn.’ I really don’t have a worry. Whoever’s number is called will be ready. I’m not a selfish player. So whatever it looks like, it looks like. As long as we come out with the victory, I’m happy. I’m chasing rings. I’m not really chasing stats.”

  • Vikings DC Brian Flores was asked if they might have interest in adding DT Christian Wilkins after their time together in Miami: “I have a lot of history with Christian. I kind of let Kwesi [Adofo-Mensah] and his staff handle that side. We’ve got a group we feel pretty good about D-line wise, but I don’t ‘mind adding more. But I let those guys handle that.” (Kevin Seifert)

The post NFC Notes: Elgton Jenkins, Caleb Williams, Jon Gruden, Bears, Lions, Packers, Vikings appeared first on NFLTradeRumors.co.

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