With what appear to be greater roster concerns or holes, why did the Bears choose to sign Marcedes Lewis this week? — Glen S., Channahon, Ill.

I alluded Sunday to the possibility the Bears could reunite with Lewis when addressing 10 questions ahead of training camp and the preseason, and the move did not come as a surprise considering how the team felt about him last season. Lewis, who turned 40 last month, remains a high-level blocker in the running game and was a strong addition to the locker room. He’s a great influence on younger players, who can learn from him about developing a plan to prepare their bodies on a daily basis. That has helped Lewis get to four games shy of setting an NFL record for a tight end.

My guess is Lewis has a pretty strong chance of making the roster. It does raise a question of whether the Bears will keep a fullback on the 53-man roster. A blocking tight end — which would be 90% of Lewis’ role — and a fullback might be a little repetitive for offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, who didn’t have a blocking back last season in Seattle. Perhaps there is a spot for both. The Bears also value the veteran presence that fullback Khari Blasingame offers, and he has gotten work on special teams as well. But it’s something to keep in the back of your mind.

Why Lewis and not a player at a different position? There aren’t frontline players out of work and sitting by the phone. Lewis, if he decided to suit up again this season, was going to have this kind of timeline in which he could stick to his workout plan and sign after the voluntary offseason program. It probably had been in the works for a while. Could another move be coming? It’s possible, but anything the Bears did at this point — when 32 teams can carry 90 players each — wouldn’t move the needle.

How about two players off the radar you are looking forward to seeing in training camp and one question no one is asking right now? Can we skip the rest of this Chicago baseball summer and go right to football? — Bubba, New Lenox

Nothing I can do about the baseball part. That’s setting up to be a slog on both sides of town — an epic slog for one team. Two players of interest who are a little bit off the radar? I’m definitely interested to see how third-round pick Kiran Amegadjie fares. The rookie offensive lineman has been sidelined as he finishes recovering from surgery to repair a partially torn left quadriceps suffered in Yale’s fourth game last fall. The Bears wanted to be cautious not to rush him into action, and had he not been hurt, it’s possible he would have been chosen a little higher. He is athletic and moves well, so seeing what he can do with pads on after he acclimates to the offense will be something to keep tabs on.

As for another player who maybe isn’t discussed a lot right now — a lot of players have been analyzed this offseason — how about defensive tackle Zacch Pickens? Gervon Dexter is the second-year player who has generated headlines for reshaping his body during the offseason. Pickens went through a similar learning curve as a rookie and there will be competition for playing time. How will he respond? Will he be more instinctive? He has a chance to help out. It’s about consistency.

Regarding a question that hasn’t been asked much, what about the situation behind starting safeties Jaquan Brisker and Kevin Byard? Not a big storyline, but in a long and very busy offseason, I feel like we’ve covered a lot of ground and even more angles about this team. In eight NFL seasons, Byard has not missed a game and says he hasn’t even been held out of a practice because of injury. He turns 31 in August, and at some point the body shows a little wear and tear. Brisker has missed two games each of the last two seasons.

The Bears have a couple of players in the mix here, and the first who comes to mind is Jonathan Owens. He started 28 games over the last two seasons with the Green Bay Packers and Houston Texans, and his signing indicated he was the leading candidate to be the third safety. Can he nail down that job and be valuable on special teams? Something to consider when you figure Byard and Brisker probably won’t combine for 34 starts at a position that can be taxing. Elijah Hicks is in the mix as well. Good luck with baseball season until football gets cranked up.

Originally, the biggest worry was a defensive end on the other side of Montez Sweat. But Nate Davis being out again to start training camp is a big worry to me. Is there a decent-to-great guard to be had in the free-agent market? — @bearsdfense

I don’t get the sense Davis will be sidelined when training camp rolls around. He was a limited participant in minicamp, and coach Matt Eberflus said the team was being extra cautious with anyone who had minor ailments.

I think you’re looking at this the wrong way. Sure, there are legitimate questions about DeMarcus Walker, rookie Austin Booker and whichever other ends could figure in a rotation opposite Sweat. The Bears also want to manage Sweat’s playing time. Eberflus believes in playing defensive linemen in waves and keeping them fresh so they can be impactful when a critical third down arrives in the fourth quarter. The ballpark for Sweat is probably about 75% of the snaps each game, plus or minus a little depending on game situation. So it’s also a question of who is lining up in his place when he’s taking a breather.

But as I look at this roster, both what’s ahead this season and then to the future, I don’t know how the focus strays at all off quarterback Caleb Williams. The Bears’ ability to develop a franchise quarterback and potentially nail the position for the first time in a very, very long time has to be the focus — and the worry. I’m not saying there should be concern it won’t work out. But if Davis’ availability is an ongoing matter, that wouldn’t derail the 2024 season. If the quarterback struggles throughout, there’s an issue.

As far as “decent-to-great” guards being unemployed right now? No. You won’t find a whole lot on the shelves down at the offensive line store in the middle of June. The Bears have options. Matt Pryor is a veteran with experience. Larry Borom has played plenty. Ryan Bates could slide over to guard. I’m curious if Ja’Tyre Carter can nail down a job this summer.

It’s rare for any team’s “biggest worry” to be related to an interior offensive lineman. There were multiple questions about Davis this week, and I expect him to be with the first team when training camp opens. Where it goes from there, we will see. Obviously the Bears hope he puts together a stronger season than last year.

How is Caleb Williams looking taking snaps under center? Not something he did often, if at all, at Oklahoma and USC. Could this be a problem at the NFL level? — Ed, Plainfield

He has looked fine taking snaps under center. Yes, that’s easier to do when the defensive linemen can’t get after him from the snap. Taking the snap under center is just one part of a bigger developmental bar Williams has to clear. That’s getting the play call in his helmet headset, calling the play efficiently in the huddle, getting to the line of scrimmage, making any requisite presnap reads and then getting the ball snapped.

That’s why you often hear offensive coaches talk about going to ground zero with the absolute basics for rookie quarterbacks. There’s stuff that is taken for granted every play when you watch a regular-season game that these guys have to learn and master. Most of them didn’t do the majority of this stuff in college. It seems like no big deal until the ball is snapped and it ends up on the ground or until a protection call is missed and a defender explodes into the backfield off the snap.

“It’s so interesting,” tight end Cole Kmet said last week during minicamp, “because in that position, like taking a snap under center and saying a cadence is something you would think would be so normal, but most guys aren’t doing that until they get to the league now. So getting guys in the huddle, saying the play call, doing the cadence, those are all brand-new things for him.

“In the huddle he was crisp and clear and all those things. That just comes with confidence in the playbook that he’s gaining. Kind of finding his own voice with the cadence because that’s definitely something that, if you can get going, you can weaponize.”