Justin Wilcox spoke with assorted media over Zoom Tuesday morning, as the Bears have a day off from practice today before getting back to business Wednesday afternoon.

Running back Bradrick Shaw hinted at this Sunday, as he noted former Cal running back CJ Anderson had been in a couple of their Zooms. Justin Wilcox confirmed that the former Bear, Pro Bowler and Super Bowl champion will be joining the Cal staff in a volunteer role

"CJ's gonna join us in a volunteer position off the field to support us on offense and on the football staff as needed," Wilcox said, "we're excited to have him. He can't coach the players (on the field), there's rules to what he can and can't do."

Anderson retired from the NFL this offseason, looking to get into coaching after his career with five different NFL teams. Wilcox expects him to be a resource for the team, and for this to be a learning experience for the Vallejo native.

"Being a guy who has been through it here at Cal," Wilcox said, "came through here and had a really successful career here and in the NFL, "a resource for our players and the experience he's garnered along the way will be good. He wants to get into coaching, and this is an opportunity for him to see the big picture of what all that entails, in terms of the off the field stuff, which is a big part of it when it comes to engagement with the players and the scouting, recruiting, academics, all that goes along with coaching outside the Xs and Os."

The Cal staff has three coaches, Bill Musgrave, Marques Tuiasosopo, and Peter Sirmon, who made the transition from the NFL to the coaching realm. Anderson also played for Musgrave in 2017 on the Denver Broncos. The transition to coaching, as Wilcox noted, is one of coming in and building off initial credibility, which Anderson has.

"I think there's a lot of guys who make that transition," Wilcox said, "we've got a number of guys on our staff who went through that same transition. It is different, going from being a player to a coach. The credibility, somebody that has done it, been there and been really successful, and over the course of time earning respect, you have that as you're walking in. Ultimately for the players you're coaching, it's consistency over time and that's what they're all looking for. He'll do well, and probably learn a lot along the way."

Cal has an opening on their offensive line at the left tackle spot, as Will Craig and Valentino Daltoso return reps at the position, and Brayden Rohme played there in the spring. Wilcox noted that Craig is taking the reps right now.

"When it comes to the depth chart, we have an idea of the ones, twos, threes right now," Wilcox said, "there's a lot to be determined. Right now Will Craig's taking the reps at left tackle, he's had a good first four practices. We'll see where that all shakes out, as we all know, it takes more than five guys (on the OL) to play a game, or especially a season."

Craig is a former four-star who claimed the left tackle job at the beginning of the 2019 season. He was injured during Cal's second week of practice and deemed out for the year. He didn't play during the Bears' four practice spring session.

There's plenty of experience on the offensive line for Cal, and the younger guys are a piece of that.

"We're excited for those guys to grow together," Wilcox said, "there's kinda that mix of veterans, and we talked about Will Craig, Cindric, McKade who are younger and have quite a bit of experience. It's a good group and we're looking forward to those guys continuing to grow this October and during this season."

The Cal offense has been a hot-topic for the media, as various media members only have seen four practices from spring ball for clues as to how the offense will work, so Wilcox got asked about how to put it simply.

"The terms 'pro-style' and 'spread,' get thrown out all the time," Wilcox said, "you'll see some of the pro-style sets, you'll see tight ends and fullbacks being utilized, but we also have the flexibility to spread guys out. It has been fun to see those guys work together on the installation process. Now getting repetitions at practice, that's what's gold, they're getting better with each of those, and that's what we need."

- Cal will be going into more padded practices this week, as the Bears have worked up to it following NCAA rules. It'll be a week of more evaluation, regardless of whether they're in full pads or not.

"This whole block of practices, which will be five," Wilcox said, "we'll have some full padded practices, not all of them, and every day is an evaluation. We may go in shells (helmets and shoulder pads) or spiders (lighter pads not meant for full contact), but we're always evaluating in everything we do. We don't want people concerned right now with the depth chart, but we're trying to prepare ourselves physically and mentally as best we can in a short amount of time."

- The injury aspect of it all is important, considering where the Bears are with regard to varied levels of conditioning, but Wilcox noted that they haven't had any issues so far.

"So far we feel like we're on a good pace," Wilcox said. "We're conscious of what they have and have not done, but we've also got a limited amount of time to get ready. That right there is the line we're going to be straddling for the next month. Some days we won't be out there quite as long, but we've got to get those reps in, continue to push and build that callus over the next month, physically and mentally, so we're prepared to play. So far so good in terms of the injury."

- Offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave noted that Devon Modster would be the primary backup for Chase Garbers Sunday, something Wilcox backed up, with the race mainly being for the third string spot.

"Devon's doing a nice job," Wilcox said, "he has quite a bit of experience he's learned from. He's a sharp guy, and it's been fun to watch him grow in the offense as well. Spencer, Jaden, Robby, and Zach, all of them we've gotten a chance to watch, they're in the mix there to earn that third spot."