Top performers from the Chicago Bears joint practice with the Bengals
Bears-Bengals Joint Practice Preview | Chicago Sports Tonight
The Athletic's Dan Wiederer joins Fox Chicago's Cassie Carlson to break down the biggest news out of Halas Hall as the Chicago Bears head to Cincinnati for crucial joint practice reps against Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and the Bengals. The Bears' banged-up secondary is facing a massive test this week, especially rookie cornerback Malik Muhammad, who is stepping into the slot with Kyler Gordon still sidelined by a calf injury. Meanwhile, the left tackle battle has turned into absolute musical chairs as Braxton Jones returns to 1-on-1 reps, Theo Benedet moves sides, and Ozzy Trapilo looms in the shadows. Plus, we react to Marcus Davenport's arrival, D'Andre Swift's explosive camp, and whether starters should even play on Saturday night.
Finally, the Chicago Bears get to hit someone else for a change.
Moving over to Cincinnati before Saturday’s preseason game, the Bears got a chance to see different looks and a whole different set of players against the Bengals with a joint practice.
"It's great for our guys just to get used to our road routine. Getting on the plane, traveling on out here," Bears coach Ben Johnson said. "We had a good day yesterday, getting settled in. And I know they're excited about the opportunity to go against a new opponent."
Here are a few standouts and top performers from the Bears’ joint practice with the Bengals on Thursday.
Rome Odunze
One of the first plays of joint practice was a catch and run by Odunze.
Much like teammate Colston Loveland did to beat the Bengals last year, Odunze made a catch, broke a tackle and raced to the end zone.
If anyone questioned Odunze’s health, specifically his rehabbed and healed broken foot, that kind of play should answer all those questions. While Luther Burden III is going to make flashy plays, Odunze is going to lead the pack and have a chance to make explosive plays himself.
Colston Loveland
It could be Colston Loveland likes getting in the end zone against the Cincinnati Bengals. He was the guy who helped the Bears leave with a win last year, scoring the game-winning touchdown on a catch-and-run with 17 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
It might feel like just another day for the Bears’ star tight end, but in a red zone team drill Caleb Williams went to Loveland again.
This time, Loveland went up and caught a touchdown with Bengals’ safety Jordan Battle in solid coverage against him.
This has been a consistent theme in camp. It feels like Loveland succeeds every time Williams targets Loveland in the red zone, too. Loveland is a matchup nightmare.
Maurice Alexander
Johnson said Thursday morning he wanted to keep a close eye on the Bears’ special teams’ unit during the joint practice.
The Bengals had success against the Bears in the regular season last year, returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown and allowing the Bengals to get a critical onside kick. The Bears may have won the game dramatically, but Johnson didn’t forget the issues.
"We talked about it in the team meeting earlier this week," Johnson said. "We kind of needed it with where we were within the season. It was a wake-up call, and we got hit right in the teeth. And I thought we played better the second half of the season on special teams."
With that said, Maurice Alexander returned a kickoff for a touchdown in practice.
Alexander, who goes by the nickname "Hard Time," did well to standout in a drill the head coach was watching specifically.
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Dillon Thieneman
The Bears’ rookie safety had a tough task on Thursday, facing off against Joe Burrow and the Bengals’ first-team offense that includes Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase.
Johnson said as much before practice.
"This guy, he's like a surgeon back there, from my perspective at least," Johnson said of Burrow. "He's got great pocket awareness. He can dissect defenses in a hurry. He knows, recognizes coverages. He's able to distribute the ball. And then he trusts the guys that he's got on the perimeter as well."
The Bears’ first-round pick showed up on Thursday.
Thieneman picked off Joe Burrow on a pass that was intended for Mike Gesicki. The Bengals tight end had the ball go off his hands, but Thieneman was there to intercept the ball.
Being in the right place at the right time is a coaching point from Bears’ defensive backs coach Al Harris. It looks like Thieneman is picking up his lessons.
D’Marco Jackson
The Bears’ defense had its hands full with Chase and Higgins. But, the Bears still had some success.
The first two levels of the Bears’ defense helped the team rally after the Bengals jumped out to a solid start. Jackson was big player in that.
Jackson was credited with a sack on Burrow, which continues to show the linebacker why the Bears’ defense is starting to trust Jackson with first-team reps after signing him to an extension this offseason.