Camp Report: How the Chicago Bears are preparing for a Cincinnati Bengals joint practice, and why it matters

LAKE FOREST, Ill. - After a Monday off, the Chicago Bears were back at Halas Hall beginning their ramp up to a loaded weekend with a guest from the AFC North.

The Cincinnati Bengals are in town for a joint practice on Thursday leading into Saturday's preseason game against the Bengals.

With that date set on the calendar, it'll mark an important point in the Bears' offseason.

Preparing for Cincy

Tuesday was a lighter practice for the Bears. There was a cohesion the group had which continued off the momentum they built up during Saturday's preseason game.

Now, they're looking toward the next step. That's this week's joint practice against Cincinnati. 

"We get a chance to work against another group," Bears defensive coordinator Eric Washington said. "There's going to be a bunch of different skill sets across the board."

Joint practices are the norm across the league, giving teams a chance to work against different defenses and see different looks as opposed to what they've been seeing in the first few weeks of training camp.

Last year, the Bears had a joint practice against the Indianapolis Colts. This weekend will provide some Bears, like left tackle Braxton Jones, a chance to take another step and get valuable film against a different pass rush. Jones said he has a better understanding now of what to look for in joint practices and how joint practices look in general.

"Being able to adjust on the move, that’s what this league is," Jones said. "I needed to do a better job at Indy doing that last year."

These joint practices are significant for a team that's yearning for progress, especially a tangible way to show that growth, with a rookie quarterback set to run the offense and a defense that wants to be known as elite.

Last week's practices were not kind to Caleb Williams. On Thursday, the last practice of the week, Williams forced throws and was intercepted three times. On Saturday against the Bills, Williams looked mentally refreshed. He made the plays he needed to, such as a 3rd and 12 conversion to DJ Moore, and the plays he wanted to, like his off-balance-strike to Cole Kmet for 26 yards, all while having the poise needed to succeed in the NFL.

It's the preseason, sure, but it was a welcome example of tangible progress after a week of struggles in Lake Forest. It was clear how far Williams had come.

Now, the Bears will get another test on Thursday with another elite quarterback. The Bengals aren't going to play their starters in Saturday's preseason game, but the Bears will see those starters on Friday.

"He adds a dimension to that," Washington said. "It just gives us a chance to face an outstanding group, an outstanding offense."

Adding another dimension to this offseason is crucial for the Bears, especially at this point. The Bears coaching staff has been adamant that Williams is on track to be ready for Week 1. The defense, which has been missing key starters in the secondary, is preparing to be ready in case they're not ready for Week 1. The coaches aren't concerned about the players who've been missing time.  

Getting a different look will give the Bears more idea of what works and what doesn't against a hopeful contender with an elite quarterback, which are the kind of teams the Bears are vying to beat this season. It'll also test the team's mettle.

Joint practices around the league have lent themselves to some squabbles. Notably, the Giants and Lions got into a few skirmishes when they were joint practicing last week. The Bears have had their own tiffs this training camp between teammates. Bears head coach Matt Eberflus has put rules in place to deter those dustups.

"We have those rules," defensive tackle Andrew Billings said. "You fight, you’re out." 

The team made it clear they're not overlooking any chance to learn or improve, especially leading up to Saturday's preseason game where reps aren't guaranteed for the Bears starters.

"Every rep is gold," Jones said.

A look back at Buffalo

Washington's defense allowed six points against Buffalo and scored six points of its own.

That score was Micah Baskerville's 50-yard interception returned for a touchdown. It was a good play by a fringe player that needs to make stellar plays when it matters most. Making a play during a preseason game is the definition of that.

"Heck of a play by Micah Baskerville," Washington said. "A lot of positives. What I told the defense was it was a good step."

It was a step for both the first-team defense and first-team offense, which did their jobs. The defense limited the Bills' first-team offense to multiple punts and the offense engineered two scoring drives against the Bills' first-team defense.

"I thought we did a good job operating, getting to the line and getting clean plays off," Jones said.

But, the Bears can't dwell on Saturday's game forever. In fact, they moved on days ago.

"We have a 24-hour rule," Washington said.

Injury Report

Montez Sweat, Nate Davis and Kyler Gordon were all limited on Tuesday. They didn't participate in the team drills, but warmed up and stretched with the team.

Washington was asked if there was any concern regarding Sweat and the rest of the defensive starter's statuses ahead of the Bears' Week 1 game against the Tennessee Titans. Washington did not express any concern, citing the progress that he sees Sweat making as well as the expectation in place.

"In an ideal situation, we want that core," Washington said. "If someone's not available, we have to make sure the next couple of players are ready to go."

Roschon Johnson, Jaquan Brisker, Collin Johnson, Noah Sewell, Tyrique Stevenson, Ryan Bates, Adrian Colbert and De'Andre Carter did not practice on Tuesday.