Tag: bears otas

10 takeaways from final week of Bears’ 2023 OTAs

The Bears conducted their ninth practice of OTAs on Wednesday. Here’s what we learned from the final week:

The Chicago Bears kicked off their final week of Organized Team Activities (OTAs) at Halas Hall.

Chicago conducted their ninth voluntary OTA practice on Wednesday, which was the third open session to media. So there was plenty to glimpse from the final week, be it through practice or interviews.

There were plenty of storylines that came out of Wednesday’s practice, including the returns of Eddie Jackson, Jaylon Johnson and Nate Davis, as well as the continued connection between Justin Fields and DJ Moore and the defense making a big play.

Following the Bears’ ninth practice of OTAs, here’s what we learned:

Photos from final week of Bears 2023 OTAs

The Bears conducted their ninth OTA practice on Wednesday. Take a look at the action:

The Chicago Bears are wrapping up their Organized Team Activities (OTAs) this week at Halas Hall.

Chicago conducted their ninth practice of OTAs on Wednesday, which was open to the media and allowed some glimpses from the final week of voluntary workouts. That included the returns of safety Eddie Jackson, cornerback Jaylon Johnson and guard Nate Davis.

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

Bears WR Darnell Mooney ‘on track’ for training camp

Barring any setbacks, Darnell Mooney will be ready for training camp next month.

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Bears wide receiver Darnell Mooney hasn’t been on the practice field during organized team activities (OTAs) as he continues to rehab his foot, which he fractured last November.

After news that safety Eddie Jackson practiced for the first time since suffering a Lisfranc injury last season, the hope was Mooney would also be ready to go. But while Mooney hasn’t participated in OTAs, head coach Matt Eberflus believes – “barring any setbacks” – that Mooney will be ready in time for training camp.

“Darnell is working his tail off,” Eberflus said. “He’s on track. He’ll be ready (for training camp).”

Mooney led the Bears in receiving before suffering a season-ending foot injury in Week 12. But it was Mooney’s breakout 2021 campaign that turned heads, as he logged his first 1,000-yard receiving season as the WR2 behind Allen Robinson.

Now, Mooney will get a chance to thrive in that role again after Chicago traded for DJ Moore, who will be Justin Fields’ top target, earlier this offseason.

Mooney is entering a contract year with Chicago, where he’ll be looking to prove himself in a crowded receivers room. Teammate Chase Claypool, who the team traded for last November, is also in the final year of his rookie deal.

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WATCH: Videos from final week of Bears OTAs

Here are some quick videos from the Bears’ final open OTAs practice on Wednesday.

The Chicago Bears are gearing up to wrap their offseason program with the final week of organized team activities (OTAs) at Halas Hall. They conducted their ninth workout on Wednesday, the third open session to the media.

Bears media members in attendance have been sharing snippets from Wednesday’s practice, including plenty of highlights on offense and defense.

The Justin Fields and DJ Moore connection continues to thrive, as the pair connected on another deep play. Meanwhile, the play of the day came when safety Elijah Hicks had a pick-six. Fields was targeting rookie receiver Tyler Scott over the middle when linebacker T.J. Edwards tipped the pass and Hicks picked it off and returned it for a score.

Hopefully we’ll see highlights from those plays at some point from the Bears’ social media team.

But, for now, here are some quick videos from Wednesday’s practice (this post will be updated as more are shared):

Bears OTAs: Attendance update from final week of voluntary practice

The Bears are wrapping OTAs this week, where they’ve welcomed back Jaylon Johnson, Eddie Jackson and Nate Davis to practice.

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The Chicago Bears are wrapping up the final week of Organized Team Activities (OTAs) at Halas Hall this week.

The Bears conducted their ninth voluntary workout on Wednesday, where media were in attendance and got to take in some of the action. That includes a look at which players were present, as OTAs are voluntary.

According to 670 the Score’s Mark Grote, safety Eddie Jackson, cornerback Jaylon Johnson and guard Nate Davis were among those who returned to practice on Wednesday. Jackson was limited.

Grote also noted that wide receivers Darnell Mooney and Chase Claypool weren’t present. Zack Pearson said rookie Terell Smith wasn’t out there.

Jackson, Johnson, Davis and Mooney missed the first two weeks of OTAs. Jackson and Mooney were rehabbing from injuries while Johnson and Davis skipped the first two weeks of voluntary practices.

The Bears will conclude their offseason workouts with mandatory minicamp next week before breaking for the summer.

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Jaylon Johnson in attendance for final week of Bears OTAs

It’s good to have you back, Jaylon Johnson.

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The Chicago Bears kicked off the final week of Organized Team Activities (OTAs) this week at Halas Hall, and there was a familiar face in attendance: cornerback Jaylon Johnson.

Johnson missed the first two weeks of OTAs as he’s been in California spending time with his young daughter, as well as working on fundraisers for his non-profit, Kevvys Vision Project.

Last week, Johnson confirmed he’d be in attendance during the final week of OTAs ahead of mandatory minicamp next week. Now, the Bears defense has their top cornerback back on the practice field.

Johnson is entering a contract year with Chicago, where he made it clear he’d like to be with the Bears for the long term. He told NBC Sports Chicago back in February that he expected contract talks to “heat up” this offseason.

While Johnson doesn’t have that contract extension yet, he revealed he has a new mindset heading into the 2023 season.

“Honestly, for me, it used to be a lot of pressure,” Johnson said on ESPN Radio. “I would even say for me going into my third year, I felt like that was the year for me to put myself out there to be able to have a new contract, to be able to re-up. For me, it’s just about going out and being who I am. I know I can be a dominant corner. I am a dominant corner in this league, following No. 1 wide receivers and just finding ways to continue to do my job at a high rate, continue to be a better teammate, continue to find ways to win.”

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What does Bears’ addition of rookie Andre Szmyt mean for Cairo Santos?

After the addition of UDFA rookie Andre Szmyt, many have wondered what that means for Cairo Santos. Bears STC Richard Hightower explained.

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The Chicago Bears have spent the offseason overhauling their roster with veterans and rookies. But it’s the addition of undrafted rookie kicker Andre Szmyt that has caused plenty of speculation about veteran Cairo Santos’s future.

Santos has been a reliable kicker since joining the Bears in 2020. But last season, Santos struggled at times with extra points, missing five in 2022. Still, Santos remains one of the NFL’s most accurate kickers, connecting on 91.7% of his field goals (seventh in the league).

Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower indicated that Santos’ job is all but safe, if he plays up to his high standards.

“Cairo Santos finished like fifth in the NFL in kicking field goals,” Hightower said, via NBC Sports Chicago. “So I mean if you call that struggling, fifth in the NFL in field goals… I understand the extra point question and he fixed that towards the end. I mean a lot of people would kill to have a top-five kicker.”

As for Szmyt, the Bears have always preached the importance of competition at all positions, and Hightower indicated as much.

“Competition’s always good,” Hightower said. “Having more than one leg in camp is always good. What I like about Andre the most is the fact that he’s a really really good player, a really good, quick ball-rise, strike, elevation. I like the fact that he’s got that one-track mind so he has the mental toughness and the fortitude to play that position. So it’s good. Working with him, just seeing him, and hopefully we can help him develop and be a player and help him contribute to the team, feed his family long-term. That’s what our job as coaches is, is to develop them while they’re here.”

While Santos will likely be Chicago’s starting kicker come Week 1, the kicker competition between him and Szmyt will certainly be something to monitor during the summer.

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Bears RB Khalil Herbert responds to David Montgomery’s no fun comments

Khalil Herbert responds to David Montgomery saying that losing with the Bears “sucked the fun” out of football.

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Former Bears running back David Montgomery recently shared his thoughts about his four-year tenure in Chicago, where he said that all of the losing “sucked the fun” out of football.

The Bears went 25-42 during Montgomery’s time with the team, including a 3-14 record in 2023, that culminated in 10 straight losses to close out the season.

Montgomery’s former teammate, and new presumptive starter, Khalil Herbert addressed Montgomery’s no fun comments, where he noted no one was happy about how things transpired in 2022.

“Losing sucks, not that I know that other guys experienced it, but losing sucks at the end of the day,” Herbert said, via NBC Sports Chicago. “I know nobody was too happy to lose last year. And that’s one thing I feel like we’re trying to change this year.”

Chicago is hoping to change things this upcoming season, after some big additions to the roster and the hopeful emergence of quarterback Justin Fields. Herbert already feels the difference in the locker room this offseason.

“We’ve got a great group of guys,” he said. “Everybody coming in with that mindset of getting better every day and having fun, you could see it out there on the field. You could feel it in the building.”

Montgomery signed with NFC North rival Detroit Lions this offseason, where he’ll get a chance to compete against his former team twice a year. Herbert is looking forward to seeing his former teammate again.

“I was happy for him, just being able to get paid, get his money,” Herbert said. “Obviously as a brother I miss him. I’ll get to see him twice a year so that’ll be good.”

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Bears STC Richard Hightower reacts to new kickoff rule

While Bears STC Richard Hightower was surprised by the kickoff rule change, he understands the aim to enhance player safety.

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The NFL recently made a change to kickoff rules, which mirrors the same rule in college football. Teams will be allowed to start at their own 25-yard line if they elect to fair-catch a kickoff inside the 25.

While Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower was surprised by the rule change, he understands the aim to enhance player safety.

“The rule is the rule,” Hightower said, via NBC Sports Chicago. “Before it, like water under the bridge now honestly. Coach (Matt Eberflus) has kind of already spoken on it in terms of what he thinks is going to happen. We’ve discussed as a staff what we think the rule is going do in terms of us basically schematically planning for it. That’s really where we are in the situation right now.

“Health and safety is the number one priority for us, the NFL, for everyone. At this point, what we are trying to do is trying to figure out strategically how to attack the situation and the best ways to win the ball game.”

The amendment to the rule has been met with outrage across the league, where a fundamental aspect of the game could become obsolete. But Hightower does believe the NFL is coming from the right place. If anything, this one-year trial run will give us an idea if it’s sustainable for the long run.

“I think the league is trying to do the right thing,” Hightower said. “We’re all trying to do the right thing. We all care about our players. It’s a trial run and then they’ll vote on it again. And then we’ll see. But ultimately, it’s in the returners’ hands.”

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Bears CB Kyler Gordon feeling more comfortable in Year 2

Bears CB Kyler Gordon is feeling more confident heading into his second season.

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Bears cornerback Kyler Gordon is entering his second NFL season, and he’s already more noticeably comfortable.

After being tasked with playing both outside and nickel cornerback during his rookie year, Gordon is being asked only to play in the slot this season. While it was a tall order for any player, yet alone a rookie, to play both positions, Gordon appreciated the experience of getting the reps.

“It definitely was a thing during training camp because I was playing nickel, corner, and I’d be with the ones, twos and threes,” Gordon said, via NBC Sports Chicago. “I was feeling it all in my legs. It was a lot. But I still appreciated it because I needed those reps and experiences. I understand why I was out there a lot and stuff like that.”

Gordon had a rough start to the 2022 season, which head coach Matt Eberflus attributed to him being a rookie. But Gordon got better as the season wore on, and he feels more confident heading into Year 2.

“I do feel extremely comfortable,” Gordon said. “I feel like I know my place, where I’m supposed to be and stuff like that, so definitely coming back this second year, I definitely don’t have any of the ‘where am I?’ like I did the first year. I feel like I know where I’m at, what’s going on.”

Following an up-and-down but important rookie season, Gordon has an opportunity to prove himself at an important position in Eberflus’ defense.

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