Bears
Bears QB Caleb Williams took responsibility for his exorbitant sack totals last year and didn’t blame the offensive line or protection.
“Part of it is my footwork and that lining up with the play,” Williams said, via Bears Wire. “That helps accelerate the clock for me. The other part is being decisive, making a decision. The other part is also taking what the defense gives me. Not trying to find that big play every time and be the young cat wanting to go get that big play, big scramble play. Sometimes it’s just the check down of the ball, the flat, the second read that may not be something more than five yards.”
Lions
Lions OT Giovanni Manu is entering the second year of his career after being a fourth-round pick in 2024. Detroit HC Dan Campbell said Manu tends to take “two steps up and then one step back.”
“He’ll take two steps up and then one step back, and so that’s kind of where he’s at,” Campbell said of Manu. “He’ll have a good day and then there’s a couple of things that’ll slide that we’ve got to keep working on with him. And he knows this. As long as he keeps pushing, he’ll be fine. That’s what he’s got to do is learn from it, listen to what Hank’s (Fraley) telling him and Steve (Oliver) and those veterans and work on it, improve and just get better every day.”
Manu said he’s spent time with veteran OT Taylor Decker this offseason.
“I got to learn so much from him,” Manu said. “We even talked about non-football stuff. He wanted me there to workout with him and he’s a great guy. He’s a role model to me. There’s so much I’ve learned from him. Just the way I carry myself, too. Hopefully one day I get to fill his shoes.”
Decker thinks Manu is starting to build confidence and mentions how they step up in competition is big from where the lineman was playing in Canada.
“I think he’s starting to gain confidence in himself,” Decker said. “He’s obviously physically gifted. Like, incredibly physically gifted. It’s been a step up obviously coming from college. Not only if you come from college in the United States to the NFL, but from Canada. I think a step up in the competition and having to learn the playbook against really good competition just took a little bit. Now he’s starting to gain some confidence. He just needs reps and he’s going to get a lot of reps. I think he’s going to continue to improve and I’m excited to see him get more opportunities in the preseason to be able to be in a game scenario and do it because that’s another step after practice.”
Vikings
Vikings S Josh Metellus was entering the final year of his contract, but wasn’t concerned about potentially becoming a free agent in 2026. In the end, he’s focused on having the “best year of my life.”
On Saturday, the Vikings signed him to a three-year, $36 million extension.
“You leave that to the front office and agents,” Metellus said, via YouTube. “That’s their job to compare numbers and stuff. My job is just to go out there and play. If that has to be the case, I’ve been betting on myself since I got into this league so I’m not worried about going out here and having the best year of my life.”
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