The Bears are back. They had a Week 5 bye with one practice and some introspection before players were given several deserved days off.

They returned to Halas Hall Monday for meetings and a picture day, with their first practice back set for Tuesday afternoon. It’s an extra date heading toward a Monday night clash with the Washington Commanders, and then it’s on. That road clash starts a stretch of 13 straight game weeks (at least), where the Bears can’t miss opportunities to remain competitive within the NFC North and the conference at large.

[Tyrique Stevenson among five Bears players who must step up after bye]

There’s plenty to discuss as the Bears enter a crucial stretch, but, before we get to your questions in the latest Bair Mail installment, say cheese:

Shane Campbell from Joliet, Ill.

Any concern about Colston Loveland after his slow start?

Bair: Not even a little bit, Shane. The No. 10 overall NFL draft pick doesn’t have huge numbers and has missed most of two games with a hip injury, but that doesn’t alter his overall outlook in the slightest.

The talent we saw during training camp is real, with the separation ability and toughness and catch radius to be a dynamic producer in this league for a long time. The injury was ill-timed, as he was getting more involved in the offense. He was needed as a blocker in Week 1, operated with a negative game script in Week 2, got banged up in Week 3 and didn’t play Week 4.

Another factor here: the Bears have sooooo many receivers deserving targets. Quarterback Caleb Williams is good spreading the ball around, but that also means Loveland’s numbers won’t overwhelm each week. There will be breakout moments, and he’ll have some this year, but competition even within his position group will drop his target share.

That isn’t happening in Indianapolis where fellow first-round tight end Tyler Warren is getting targeted 24.2% of the time. While comparison is the death of joy, I bring it up cause Warren and Loveland are connected by draft status but separated on different teams with different passing-game priorities.

Loveland will have chances to shine and, the more trust he builds, the more opportunities he’ll get. I have high confidence Loveland’s skill set plays in this league. It’s only a matter of time before we see it.

[Five questions facing Ben Johnson, Bears after first four games]

Bryan Tomlinson from Chicago

Love what we’ve seen from Rome Odunze so far!! Can he keep it up? He’s starting to look like a real No. 1.

Bair: The connection between Williams and Odunze is real. The trust is there. So is the talent. Everything Odunze vowed to improve this offseason is paying dividends, with him being more aggressive and physical at the point of attack. He’s a solid route runner who can release well at the line of scrimmage and is big enough where he’s not getting pushed around there.

He already has 20 receptions for 296 yards and five touchdowns through four games. That’s 8.5 yards per target, a sum worthy of Williams regularly looking his way. Odunze has remained as humble as ever through the hot start believing that even better is coming.

The argument over identifying the Bears’ No. 1 receiver is a bit silly, with so many options and no one fighting over the mantle. The Bears have a good mix of skill sets for Ben Johnson to use and, considering the offensive play caller’s track record, most receivers will get their time in the sun. Expect Odunze, though, to be a fixture in the offensive game plan.

[Caleb Williams, D’Andre Swift, Bears run defense among good, bad and ugly at the bye]

Kyle Warner from Niles, Ill.

The Bears haven’t faced a mobile quarterback like Jayden Daniels all season. I’m worried about how we’re going to contain him as a runner.

Bair: That’s true, Kyle. Minnesota’s J.J. McCarthy, Detroit’s Jared Goff, Dallas’ Dak Prescott and Las Vegas’ Geno Smith prefer to work from the pocket and aren’t real threats to consistently scramble and use designed runs to gain yards on the ground.

Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels can beat you so many different ways, as his stat sheet suggests. He’s averaging 221.3 yards per game as a passer and 41 more as a runner.

Coordinator Dennis Allen will devise a unique plan for Daniels’ skill set, likely with a spy to help mitigate his speed.

Linebacker T.J. Edwards and slot cornerback Kyler Gordon will likely return for this game and should offer upgrades in defending Daniels. The defensive front must try to create pressure, obviously, but keeping him contained in the pocket is equally important. Many Bears players faced Daniels last year and know how difficult he can be. He doesn’t make many fatal mistakes and keeps plays alive, so getting him down without much damage is vital in Week 6.

There’s another issue with Washington’s ground game that doesn’t involve the quarterback. The Commanders are averaging a league-high 156.4 yards per game and are going a Bears run defense ranked No. 31 overall. That’s a bad combo for the Bears that must be addressed.

Submit your questions below for inclusion in the next Bears mailbag!! 👇