Bears
The Bears signed veteran OL Joe Thuney to a two-year extension after acquiring him in a trade with the Chiefs back in March. Thuney said the history of the team helped him know he wanted to be a part of the organization.
“As the days rolled into weeks you realize this is a special place, special building, special history here and the people in the building make it even more special,” Thuney said, via Scott Bair of Marquee Sports Network. “I don’t know if there was an exact moment or anything. Pretty early on I could tell this is something I want to be a part of, something that I think could be really cool going forward.”
Thuney is always looking to impart wisdom on their younger players and thinks things are going well.
“I always want to be available for the guys in the O-line room,” Thuney said. “Whether it be plays or situations or time of year, anything. To talk about things I’ve seen, things I’ve been through and then try to get a routine with guys and work. Whether it be after practice or after meetings or whatever. You want to be a resource for the guys and show them my routine through the season, through the offseason. Like I said, the line room has been great, a lot of hardworking guys in there, a lot of guys that want to compete, want to play. It’s been going well.”
Thuney has had a great impression from C Drew Dalman and RG Jonah Jackson, saying they are both relentless with their development.
“Drew and Jonah are great guys, they work relentlessly – weight room, film room, every part of the game you can tell how passionate they are for the game,” Thuney said. “It’s cool that the guys would be here for a couple years. It’s been great working with them.”
Lions
Lions OC John Morton spoke to reporters about WR Jameson Williams having an “unbelievable” offseason.
“I’m so excited to see him this year because it’s gonna be a breakout year,” Morton said, via Colton Pouncy of TheAthletic.com.
Vikings
The Vikings signed undrafted DL Tyler Batty out of BYU this offseason. During his time at the school, Batty became a driving force behind helping DC Ed Lamb‘s son, Edward, who has autism and is nonverbal. Through Batty’s farm, Edward began having a connection to horses.
“That opened up a whole new world for me and my son,” Ed Lamb said, via Alec Lewis of The Athletic. “It changed our lives.”
Batty wound up creating a nonprofit called “Edward’s Hands,” which brings on children with autism to help as ranch hands.
As for playing in Minnesota, Batty told his father, Layne Batty, that “every position is open” for him to play.
“It all turned out good,” Layne says. “Tyler told us that in one of the first meetings, the (Vikings) coaches said, ‘Every position is open. It’s yours for the taking. Who wants it? Who wants it the most?’”
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