RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 2 sourcesThe Chicago Bears were back at Halas Hall for their eighth practice of training camp on Thursday, where they conducted their third padded session of the week before an off day Friday.
The Bears were back in pads after a day in shells, and the intensity was really cranked up another level, where things got chippy and feisty between the offense and defense. Unfortunately, the biggest storyline of the day was the injuries. After losing safety Coby Bryant earlier this week, defensive end Montez Sweat and left tackle Braxton Jones were among the four players injured. The good news is Sweat and Jones' injuries don't look to be significant. There were also some notable standout players during Thursday's workout while the offense finally found success in the two-minute drill.
Let's recap Day 8 of Bears training camp:
Takeaways
Intensity at its highest : Thursday's practice might've been the most physical yet this summer. According to Brad Biggs , the "intensity has been turned up a couple levels," noting the 9-on-7 run drill was "feisty." Adam Jahns added that it was a "chippy" practice where there was "lots of shoving. A couple skirmishes." According to Patrick Finley , things were so physical that, at one point, linebacker D'Marco Jackson needed a new facemask. That intensity was notable during the 9-on-7 run drill, which Courtney Cronin praised. "The physicality is at its peak this morning. Team periods opened with 9 on 7 run drills. Cannot remember the last time I saw the Bears rep this drill. Old school football."
Left tackle battle close to finalized (with one caveat): Before Thursday's practice, head coach Ben Johnson sounded confident that the team would be able to finalize the starting left tackle job by next week. And, if you've been paying any attention to camp, it's clear that Braxton Jones is set to be the guy. That was made even more obvious when he got starting reps for a fourth straight practice. But the only thing that might stand in Jones' way is injury. Jones suffered an apparent injury during a set of 1-on-1 reps against Austin Booker, but he was able to exit the field in his own power and appears to have avoided a serious injury. Kiran Amegadjie replaced Jones when he went down, but Clay Harbor said Jedrick Wills Jr. was a standout with the second-team offense. "Excellent movement skills and plenty of pop despite one loss to Daniel Hardy a couple other bad plays." We'll have to wait and see about Jones' status, but if he's good to go, there's no doubt he's got the starting job locked down.
Uneven day for the offense in pads : When the team has been in shells, the offense has completely dominated the defense. But when the pads have come on three times this week, the defense has evened things out, and that was evident during Thursday's practice. Josh Buckhalter called it a "mixed day" for quarterback Caleb Williams and the offense. Clay Harbor noted that "Caleb struggled early (high/behind Rome, INT to Tyrique Stevenson, operation issues)" but he did respond. After a few practices of failing to successfully complete a two-minute drill, the offense bounced back in a huge way. Williams led a 65-yard touchdown drive with 1:41 left on the clock, which was capped by a touchdown to receiver Luther Burden III, which Harbor said showed "great resilience."
Malik Muhammad worked with starters at nickel : With Chicago's secondary depth being tested early in training camp, the Bears have been shuffling different players around at safety and nickel cornerback with Coby Bryant and Kyler Gordon sidelined. It's been Cam Lewis at safety and Jaylon Jones at nickel for the most part. But, according to Adam Jahns , Jones wasn't present for the final two team periods, and rookie Malik Muhammad got his opportunity with the first-team defense. With the injuries in the secondary, Josh Buckhalter noted that it "could be time to move him up."
Kaden Davis continues to impress : One of the surprising standouts of this second set of training camp practices is veteran wide receiver Kaden Davis, who had the catch of the day -- and perhaps summer -- just two days ago on a pass from quarterback Caleb Williams. And Davis once again shined when things turned up a notch. Adam Hoge said "Kaden Davis keeps making plays." That included "a beauty in the corner of the end zone from Case Keenum," according to Courtney Cronin , "…and then (he) got flagged for punting the ball." Davis has had a solid camp so far. Every summer, there's one receiver who emerges in camp or preseason that captures the attention and adoration of fans. Davis could certainly be that guy this summer.
Rookie Jordan van den Berg making a statement : When the Bears drafted Jordan van den Berg in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, there was a report that emerged that said Chicago had "big plans" for the rookie defensive tackle. So far in training camp, van den Berg has been a standout with his physicality, and that was true again on Thursday. According to Clay Harbor , van den Berg had a "disruptive day," where he beat both Luke Newman and Logan Jones in 1-on-1s, as well as blew up a 9-on-7 rep. Adam Jahns noted that van den Berg "was part of the rotation with the starters" during 11-on-11 run drills, where he got to go against veterans like Joe Thuney to help his acclimation to the NFL. -- Alyssa Barbieri
Studs
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-- Brendan Sugrue
Injury updates
The story of the day were the multiple injuries sustained during Thursday's padded practice, which was the most intense of the summer so far. But the most notable injuries came to defensive end Montez Sweat and l...
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