Tag: Bears minicamp

Bears 2024 minicamp Day 3: Braxton Jones, Nate Davis among those not practicing

The Bears wrapped up their mandatory minicamp on Thursday with a handful of players not participating in team activities.

Mandatory minicamp is officially over for the Chicago Bears as they completed their third and final practice of the week. The Bears had a shorter and lighter practice on Thursday before the veterans break before the summer. A handful of players did not take part in team activities on the field, however.

Offensive tackles Braxton Jones and Kiran Amegadjie and wide receivers Tyler Scott and Dante Pettis missed practice for a second day in a row. Guard Nate Davis was also not participating for the second time this week. Others who were out include cornerback Kyler Gordon, defensive end Austin Booker, and wide receiver Collin Johnson. Bear Report’s Zack Pearson indicates Jones and Gordon were not present at all, while the others were not participating.

Though there were quite a few players not available, head coach Matt Eberflus continued to say it was just precautionary. The Bears veterans won’t be back on the field until sometime in mid-July, while the rookies will take part in one more organized team activity (OTA) next week.

Bears’ Jaylon Johnson motivated to be ‘best corner in the league’

Bears CB Jaylon Johnson earned a well-deserved payday this offseason, but his motivation remains the same heading into the 2024 season.

Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson earned a well-deserved contract extension this offseason after proving his worth as a cornerstone of this defense moving forward.

Johnson is coming off a career year with Chicago, where he reeled in a career-high four interceptions, 36 tackles and 10 pass breakups in 14 games while also emerging as a top cover cornerback in the NFL. Johnson earned his first Pro Bowl and All-Pro nods for his impressive 2023 campaign.

The payoff was a four-year, $76 million contract extension that keeps him with the Bears through 2027. Despite getting paid, Johnson remains motivated to prove himself in the league.

His goal? “Being the best corner in the league,” Johnson said.

Johnson is certainly well on his way to getting there, especially coming off an impressive 2023 season where he was the highest-graded cornerback (90.8), according to Pro Football Focus.

But Johnson remains focused on the task at hand and continuing to work toward consistently being a top cornerback in the game.

“Discipline and daily work habits,” Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said. “That’s what he has done, and he showed that he had an area he needed to work on, and he got better at it. So, he showed determination and then he really showed his devotion and love for the game.”

Johnson will be a key leader among a young, ascending Bears defense looking to make a statement this season.

Photos from second day of Chicago Bears 2024 minicamp

The Bears conducted their second minicamp practice on Wednesday. Take a look at the action:

The Chicago Bears were back on the practice field for mandatory minicamp at Halas Hall.

Chicago conducted their second of three practices on Wednesday, which was open to the media and provided plenty of highlights, including quarterback Caleb Williams connecting with wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. on a deep touchdown during 7-on-7.

Here’s a look at some photos from Wednesday’s practice:

Bears 2024 minicamp Day 2: Cole Kmet, Braxton Jones held out of practice

The Bears completed their second minicamp practice, but two starters on offense did not participate.

Day 2 of mandatory minicamp is in the books for the Chicago Bears, and a few prominent veterans on offense who were out there on Tuesday did not practice on Wednesday.

Tight end Cole Kmet and offensive tackle Braxton Jones were held out of practice on Wednesday. Other players who did not participate include wide receivers Tyler Scott and Dante Pettis and offensive tackle Kiran Amegadjie, according to NBC Sports Chicago’s Josh Schrock.

Though Kmet and Jones did not practice, head coach Matt Eberflus said there was no cause for concern as both players were held out for precautionary reasons. “Today, you saw that Cole and Braxton didn’t practice; again, that’s just precautionary,” Eberflus told reporters after practice. “When guys feel a certain way, certain thing, they get with the trainers; just work on that so they can get ready for summer conditioning because that’s coming up here pretty shortly.”

According to CHGO’s Adam Hoge, Kmet got banged up during Tuesday’s practice but still finished the session. Kmet made a nice leaping catch in the middle of the field on a pass from quarterback Caleb Williams during that practice.

Though some players were out, there was good news regarding defensive end Montez Sweat and guard Nate Davis. Both players returned to team drills after they sat out during Tuesday’s practice.

The Bears have just one more day of minicamp before they depart Halas Hall for an extended period of time.

Keenan Allen says Bears defense looks like a ‘top 5’ unit

New Bears WR Keenan Allen had high praise for Chicago’s defense.

New Bears wide receiver Keenan Allen practiced for the first time at Halas Hall on Tuesday to kick off mandatory minicamp, where he got his first glimpse of this Chicago defense.

As evidenced by last year’s training camp practices, the Bears defense — which returns most of its key starters from a year ago — is a vocal, boisterous group. And Allen experienced it firsthand.

The offense had its ups and downs during Tuesday’s practice, where they were solid during 11-on-11 and 7-on-7. But the defense dominated during both two-minute drills, forcing two three-and-outs. They definitely left an impression on Allen.

“They look like a top 5 defense,” he said. “They sound like a top 5 defense, too. Defenses are annoying, especially at practice. You just hear them every time they make a play. It’s hooray celebration. These guys are running up and down the sideline. So it’s annoying.

“Offense we get a first down. One guy just trots around. He comes back to the huddle. Everybody is like, ‘OK, what’s the next play?’ You don’t really see too much: ‘YEAHHHHHH!’ You don’t really get all that just because somebody did a rip-through and got back to the quarterback. So it is what it is. Their energy, the way they communicate, the way they get lined up,  definitely high-class.”

While the spotlight has been on rookie Caleb Williams and the offense this offseason, the defense is positioning itself to be a top unit in the NFL this season.

Despite a rough start to the 2023 season, Chicago finished the year as a top five defense. They return cornerstones cornerback Jaylon Johnson and defensive end Montez Sweat, one of the best linebacker groups with Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards and have a young secondary that could emerge as a top group in the league.

The offense is talented in its own right — with one of the league’s best receiver trios, a highly-touted rookie quarterback and other weapons — which should make for some entertaining battles this summer. In the end, iron sharpens iron.

Bears 2024 minicamp: Montez Sweat not practicing in team drills on Day 1

The Bears had perfect attendance to start their mandatory minicamp, but not everyone took part in practice.

The Chicago Bears began their mandatory minicamp on Monday by hitting the field for their first of three practices this week at Halas Hall. The team had perfect attendance, which included the return of veterans such as wide receiver Keenan Allen and cornerback Jaylon Johnson. But not everyone was able to participate on the practice field.

Defensive end Montez Sweat, who also missed voluntary workouts, did not take part in team practice. Fortunately, he was held out only as a precautionary measure as the team evaluates his conditioning level.

“We are checking on Sweat a little bit because we haven’t seen him in physical activity,” head coach Matt Eberflus told the media after practice. “He was in the building for the other stuff, but he’ll hopefully ramp up tomorrow and get some more team reps in there as we go.”

It sure sounds like the Pro Bowl defensive end will be on the field sooner rather than later and that there are no lingering issues that would prevent him from taking part in team drills. The same can’t be said for guard Nate Davis, however.

Davis was the other non-participant on Tuesday, who also did not participate during OTAs either. There was no reason given for his absence.

The Bears will be back on the field Wednesday and Thursday before they take one final break prior to training camp.

Photos from first day of Chicago Bears 2024 minicamp

The Bears conducted their first minicamp practice on Tuesday. Take a look at the action:

The Chicago Bears kicked off the final phase of their offseason program with mandatory minicamp at Halas Hall.

Chicago conducted their first of three practices on Tuesday, which was open to the media and provided plenty of highlights, including rookie quarterback Caleb Williams connecting with his big three receivers in DJ Moore, Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze.

Here’s a look at some photos from Tuesday’s practice:

Projecting the Bears’ 2023 starting defense after mandatory minicamp

The Bears wrapped mandatory minicamp last week, and we’re predicting what Chicago’s starting defense will look like in 2023.

The Chicago Bears have wrapped their offseason program with the conclusion of their three-day mandatory minicamp, which has started to make things both clear and uncertain with this roster ahead of training camp.

The Bears’ defense should improve greatly this season following some impressive additions, including linebackers Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards, defensive tackles Gervon Dexter and Zacch Pickens and cornerback Tyrique Stevenson.

We’re still some time away before the team releases their first unofficial depth chart. But following mandatory minicamp, the starting offense has already taken shape.

Following the conclusion of the offseason program, we’re predicting what Chicago’s starting defense will look like in 2023.

WATCH: Highlights from Bears’ 2023 offseason featuring Justin Fields, DJ Moore

Now that the Bears offseason program is in the books, take a look at some official highlights.

The Chicago Bears wrapped their offseason program with the three-day mandatory minicamp last week.

It was certainly an eventful offseason between rookie minicamp, organized team activities and veteran minicamp, which featured a slew of storylines ahead of training camp next month.

While we’ve been enjoying some quick highlights during the offseason, the Bears social media team shared some practice content now that the offseason program is in the books.

Take a look at some highlights from Chicago’s offseason, including plenty of Justin Fields and DJ Moore connections and the defense making plays.

Following a six-week summer break, the Bears will return to Halas Hall on July 25 for training camp.

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10 things we learned about the Bears this offseason

With Bears mandatory minicamp in the books, here’s what we learned after Chicago’s offseason program.

The Chicago Bears concluded their offseason program with their three-day mandatory minicamp. Now, they have a six-week summer break before returning to Halas Hall for training camp in late July.

There were no shortage of storylines during the offseason program, which included the growing connection between Justin Fields and DJ Moore, a new swagger and some standout rookies who flashed.

When looking at everything that transpired during the offseason program — between rookie minicamp, organized team activities and mandatory minicamp – there are plenty of storylines to monitor heading into training camp.

Here are 10 things we learned about the Bears this offseason: