AZ54

A week into this camp and some things are becoming clear. LT: Jones is clearly in the lead. There have been plenty of reports that he’s playing stronger and that’s a good thing. However, there hasn't really been any outstanding praise either. Coaches say stuff like “Braxton is doing exactly what we expected of him”. Well I don’t know what you expected of him so is that praising him or just saying he’s doing what he’s always done? Theo is not in the competition at this point. I think he’s being groomed primarily as the backup swing tackle. Kiran nobody talks about except when they realize they forgot to mention his name. He’ll be cut. That leaves Jedrick Wills as the player clearly in the 2nd spot behind Jones. Today Clay Harbor singled him out as having oustanding movement skills and power that shows up well in the padded practices (i.e. his 1st Rd talent is there). Wills obviously has the most to learn about the offense but coaches already have him ahead of Theo who got a lot of reps there last year. Also by keeping Theo as backup RT for now means more meaningful snaps at LT for Wills. Which is a way of saying they want to give Wills every opportunity to win the starting job if he can. If Wills, or even Jones, comes along quickly and shows clear starter potential then the Bears might have an odd problem on their hands. How many OL do you keep? If Theo is good enough to be your swing OT and you have a mending Ozzy available mid-season, do you keep Jones and Wills around? That’s a bit of luxury considering we need DB depth on the roster. This calculus includes the 3 TEs who can all help the LT, whoever that is, with inline blocking. Could we end up trading Jones or Wills before the season starts, or perhaps they let it playout further and trade mid-season? C: Bradbury is the same as expected… I’d love to see more from Logan Jones but it’s early. It’s a key position for Caleb and I don’t think any changes happen here until it’s the athletic upside offers more than the mental drop off. RT: I watch more press conferences or even podcasts with players. I’ve seen Darnell Wright over the years since we drafted him and he’s always come across as a bit of a shy guy, maybe a bit insecure. His press conference after signing the new contract was a totally different guy. I’ve never seen him speak with that level of maturity, clarity of thought, and purpose. I’m very curious to see what confident Darnell Wright looks like on the field. DTs: With pads on we’re learning that Grady Jarrett looks quick. There’s no splash play highlights but you can pick almost any beat reporter and they all say he’s moving much better than he was in camp at this time last year. Dexter looks more powerful per Clay Harbor. Perhaps, as Mongo wished, he’s being asked to be what he is, bulk up, and just take on the double team role. Harbor also said Gallimore, Street, and Van den Berg are all showing up well since the pads came on and that perhaps our Dline depth will be better than expected. Offense: It’s becoming more clear there is talent everywhere. Can’t wait to see them in Week 1. LB: TJ Edwards … just caught a short clip of him running some basic drills but he looks lighter on his feet and quicker. We weren’t the only ones listening to Poles, Johnson, Allen et al talk about the need to add more speed at LB. Being quicker doesn’t mean he’s faster top speed but he should stick with receivers on their breaks better, at least in the short area. DE: Still a concern but Booker looks to be earning the starting job across from Sweat. Dayo is moving inside often for pass rush. If Dayo is DE3 (not too exciting), then Turner is DE4 and we’ve yet to see him.

I agree about Hafley. Felt he had that D setup well for three quarters in each game.

Yikes. I thought $25mil/yr

Lots of run install today, 12 and 13 personnel, and it seems to have really messed up the rhythm of the offense. Van den Berg with the first pancake of camp taking Barnett to the ground.

Braxton has bulked up in a good way at least in his upper body. He’s never looked like that. In his press conference he talked openly about his struggles handling power. I’d assume the same effort went into fixing his lower body. We find out this week if it pays off.

With pads coming on this week there will be lots of things to watch for. One guy I’m curious about is Jayden Loving. He’s a UDFA who could easily wash out and be gone before the season starts. If he shows potential then most likely he makes the practice squad. The top 3 DTs are locks to make the roster: Jarrett, Dexter, Gallimore. Behind them it’s a crap shoot. I’m high on Vandenberg’s potential but he had just as many lowlights as highlights in college. Kentavious Street? DT4 and DT5 (expecting one guy to be on PS) is wide open. I’m hoping there’s a legit 3-man competition for those last two spots. Whoever wins those jobs are they going to be someone we can count on in games? Google Search is dead, AI scours the internet for you and provides a tidy summary: The Bears fit Jayden Loving because they’ve been trying to upgrade the interior defensive line with players who can do two things: hold up against the run and add more pass-rush juice from the middle. Loving’s profile lines up with that in a very “Bears defense-building” way. He’s a run-stopping DT archetype: Reports on his film/grades out of Wake point to him being especiallyeffective versus the run—exactly the type of interior presence Chicago wants to improve at.Sports Illustrated Athletic interior leverage (good “move-for-size” upside): The Bears have emphasized adding rawathleticism up front this offseason, and Loving checks that box—short/stout body, but with real burst andmovement ability for his size. Sports Illustrated1 He gives them rotational depth that can grow: Chicago also added multiple DT/DT-type pieces (via freeagency and the draft), and Loving fits as an upside option who can compete for early rotation snaps whilelearning the NFL game.

One thing becoming apparent both from a production standpoint and comments in press conferences is that our safety play is definitely improved. The obvious INTs from Bryant lead the way but offensive players like Kmet have talked about how you can feel these guys hanging on your hip as you run your route. Or how quickly they are closing down on running plays. One reporter mentioned seeing Zavion break free on a short route and heading upfield. Normally you’d think that’d go for a TD but Thieneman closed it down from center field. Bryant is taking on a leadership role for the entire secondary, Thieneman is quickly ramping up following his lead. Over many decades the Bears have had a history of good safeties but it’s usually been one good safety. We have to see it play out but we might be seeing the start of something really good with Bryant and Thieneman for years.

Defense bounced back on day 4 Coby Bryant is looking like the real deal and led the way. On his INT Jaylon said he was in coverage and when he looked up Coby was right there but he wasn’t expecting him because he wasn’t supposed to be there. Coby saw it and just reacted. Now a day off then the pads come on and the big boys can start playing too.

As best as I can tell nobody knows

The details you crave are covered in this video and it’s good

https://bearswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/bears/2026/07/31/bears-training-camp-highlights-day-3-caleb-williams/91121196007/ The leaner meaner Caleb is definitely twitchier when running.

Gotta love Ben Johnson. Caleb having his way in camp so what does Ben do to heat up the pressure? He puts Kiran in at LT with the ones. Just keep that in mind when someone is happy the D got a couple sacks today.

Day 3. Five studs from practice all on offense. Pads come on Monday excuses come off Tuesday https://bearswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/bears/2026/07/31/chicago-bears-training-camp-studs-caleb-williams/91126005007/

I can consider it all but none of that changes the fact the offense did something I’ve never seen before this early in camp. It also wasn’t because they were doing all the easy stuff either. If you can pull off all the pre snap movement and timing, post snap timing on routes all while the defense is mixing up coverages then it’s a very good sign Defense needs contact for sure but then at that time the offense will be able to use the running game Right now the defense only has to play against one dimension which gives them a huge coverage advantage

The offense destroyed the defense today. Just day 2 but we’ve never been able to say that. Caleb at 70% completions. I simply don’t care about any context regarding practice, early in camp, blah, blah, blah because we’ve never been able to say that on day 2.

It’s worth noting that part of that session was Ben reviewing the play call and did he setup Caleb and the offense for success.

32 years old JULY 29: Vea is holding in at camp, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports, though head coach Todd Bowles said the lineman tweaked his back during a running test on Tuesday (via Greg Auman of Fox Sports). Bowles added that the Bucs have not had any talk of trading Vea.

Yes he’d make us better but I don’t want another old over-paid DT on the roster. Poles needs to hold off and let things play out before deciding what player or position to add. If they really want a NT they can always find one in the draft. They do not go early.

Yes but I’m curious what the new emphasis on technique and fundamentals does. I don’t think it will suddenly make Dexter the fastest guy off the line but it might help him better apply leverage and play to his strengths. He’s never going to be the guy who runs around someone but he needs to learn how soften edges of blockers. My hope is they can help everyone be just 10-20% more productive. Enough to get off the field on third and long.

I think it’s Cam Lewis we’ll see at NB. He’s a good player, versatile, just not special. I believe they’ll leave Muhammed outside to push Stevenson, and that’s his more natural fit anyway. Trying to fit a rookie into two positions is not ideal, but sometimes luck is on your side. I think early on they’ll also leave Thieneman at safety to learn those roles. However, last year at Oregon he proved he can play at NB and that might be an option later in the season. Coby Bryant can do a little of that too. I’m not totally enamored with our depth at Safety but if Allen feels confident enough in someone like Hicks, I could see scenarios with Gordon injured where he puts 3 safeties on the field as opposed to the traditional NB. That might cause some confusion in a QB’s reads depending how players shift at the snap. If they start tinkering with the DBs later in camp that might be a little something to watch. Or if we pick up a DB after cuts.

I think it will be Zavion. I’m not expecting he’ll be a WR2, nor even WR3. I do think he’ll stand out in camp because the fast guys always do. Plus he’s a far better receiver than most fans gave him credit for during the draft. More importantly I think it carries into the season. There are so many good pieces around him and a good offensive mind who knows how and when to utilize his talents. Role players like this in the right system and around the right teammates make gaining 10 yards look easy. One missed tackle quickly turns that into 20yds or more. From the news bits over the offseason it appears he’s going to have a very professional approach to his career.

This injury list and subsequent contract issue make me think Jacas wasn’t even on our board. I’d bet the contract issue is over guarantees “Jacas’ recent health issues have not been limited to his knee. A hamstring injury prevented Jacas from participating at the Combine in February or Illinois’ pro day in March. There are also concerns that a labral tear in Jacas’ shoulder could require medical attention down the line.” Pro Football RumorsMike Vrabel Discusses Unsigned 2nd-Rounder Gabe JacasMike Vrabel is "positive" the Patriots will sign second-rounder Gabe Jacas, but it is not clear when it will happen. More at Pro Football Rumors.

Who said the rookie is better than Stevenson?

Above all week one will look a lot like what we saw in the last four weeks of the 2025 season. Depending on who is healthy it might even look better. People forget the steep learning curve Rome, Loveland, and then Burden went through.

If the rookies are better players put then on the field. Stevenson did nothing last year to earn anyone’s trust just because he’s a vet. If we make it to the playoffs again those rookies will then have a full season of experience.