The Chicago Bears were among four teams to begin their offseason program on April 4. The hiring of Head Coach Matt Eberflus gives the Bears and the other teams with a new head coach an early start as they begin preparing for the 2022 season. More importantly, some extra face time with players will help Eberflus and General Manager Ryan Poles assess their 2022 NFL draft needs.
Positive (and negative) impressions will be made over the two weeks of Phase 1 of Chicago’s offseason work. While no on-field drills can be conducted, coaches will have an opportunity to meet with players. And it’s those meetings that are often just as important as what happens on the field.
One player the Bears will rely on heavily on 2022 is third-year edge rusher Trevis Gipson. He’ll be tasked with replacing some of the lost production following the Khalil Mack trade. He exceeded expectations in 2021 when he finished the year with seven sacks. Now, with more playing time coming in 2022, he has a chance to emerge as one of the NFL’s top young pass-rushers.
He’s excited about getting back to work.
“I’m excited,” Gipson said. “The coaching staff has great energy, the guys coming back have great energy. I think there’s something that just feels different about this year. Being back at Halas Hall for the first day, it’s exciting and energetic, and it feels fun.
“I would say the first day of school is a good comparison simply because I’ve never met these coaches, they’ve never met me. You get to create a first impression that could possibly last the rest of your career. I think that’s exciting to be able to see the different types of personalities that guys are bringing to the table with the grit and the overall toughness that this team plans on having.”
