Caleb Williams and other regular players will play on Saturday

Despite the persistent rain that fell in Lake Forest on Thursday afternoon, the Chicago Bears and Cincinnati Bengals held a joint outdoor practice at Halas Hall for over two hours.

Coach Matt Eberflus said he was happy with the work against another team, and the Bears still plan to use their regular players, including rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, in Saturday's preseason game against the Bengals at Soldier Field.

Here's our look at practice ahead of the Bears' third preseason game.

Caleb Williams Watch

Eberflus stressed that the work Williams has done against the Bengals defense has been important, and he wants him to get even more work on Saturday when the Bears' first team will take an unspecified number of reps. The Buffalo Bills, who the Bears played in their second preseason game, have a defense similar to the Bears, but the Bengals present a different challenge.

“It wasn't a huge challenge for him to learn the rules and know where to go in the passing game (against the Bills). The coverage contours are similar,” Eberflus said. “And this (Bengals) group is a little different. They do a few things differently. They're a weird structured team. I think it was a really good learning experience and experience for him to learn the rules, the rules of protection, the runs to runs, the runs to passes and where the open space is.”

Williams began practice by intercepting a pass intended for D'Andre Swift in a 7-on-7 game and throwing it to linebacker Germaine Pratt, but he bounced back and made some good plays despite the rain, including touchdowns to DJ Moore and Keenan Allen during the full team's work in the red zone.

Tight end Cole Kmet agreed with Eberflus that the practice was beneficial, even if he found the process “a little odd” because some players had to sit out so much time during backup and special teams work. But Kmet believes Saturday's game work will benefit the Bears' offense more.

“I still believe you can't simulate an NFL football game,” Kmet said. “When you know you can take another guy down on a play, it's not the same as practice. … When it comes to the game, every block you make is trying to take somebody down. That's a different mentality than in practice, when you're taking care of people. So I think you need that a little bit.”

Photos: At the Chicago Bears training camp in Halas Hall

News of the day

The mood at practice became even more somber toward the end of practice when two Bengals players had to be carried off the field with casts on their legs in two separate incidents.

Running back Chris Evans was the first to go down during special teams drills, and offensive tackle D'Ante Smith was injured during a team-wide period. The Bears turned off the music during Evans' injury, and several players knelt when Smith went down. Players from both teams consoled Smith before he was carried off the field.

“We obviously feel for them and will be there for them,” said Bengals coach Zac Taylor. “I don't know what the outcome will be yet. But it was definitely hard to watch.”

Taylor said he did not believe the wet conditions on the field were responsible for the injuries.

The rain ruined some of the Bears' plans for the day, but not all. They decided to close practice to fans because they needed the indoor field at the Walter Payton Center for teams to use in the event of a lightning strike — and there would have been no shelter for fans.

But the teams never had to go inside despite the heavy rain at times. Kmet and safety Kevin Byard said they were actually happy to be able to practice despite the rain. Kmet didn't want both teams crowding the Payton Center, and Byard said he preferred to stay on artificial turf if possible. He called it a “'Remember the Titans'-style practice.”

“I've always preached out there, 'Stay out here. Let's just stay out here because grass is always better for the players,'” Byard said. “That's just my opinion. Yes, a little rain doesn't hurt anyone.”

Eberflus was happy with the rain because it made ball security easier, and several fumbles occurred because of the wet football.

“You have to handle the ball differently in the wet, and it was wet out there,” Eberflus said. “Not only that, but it's footwork. Footwork is important. You have to keep your feet under your body. You have to make sure you're doing good footwork when you're setting up, hitting and moving in those wet conditions. So I think that was a good experience for everyone, too.”

Players in the spotlight

If Nate Davis didn't directly understand the message Eberflus sent nine days ago when he said a starter could lose his job due to injury, perhaps the coach conveyed it to the veteran right guard in another way.

Davis said he was unaware of the coach's words, which was notable compared to his usual vacuous comments about players' health issues. The free agent, signed a year ago, missed most of the first three weeks of training camp because of a groin injury.

“When someone is out for an extended period of time and the player plays very well at that position, at a starter level, and does a good job there, then there is competition,” Eberflus said on Aug. 6. “You say, 'Hey, there's competition.' People say you can't lose your job because of an injury. I don't think that's true. That's not just true for guards. That's true for all positions.”

Davis, who met with the media for the first time since training camp began, has practiced since the Bears returned from Buffalo and skated with the first team against the Bengals as Ryan Bates missed another practice and Coleman Shelton played center. Eberflus described Bates as “week-to-week,” but the Bears are confident he will be back soon.

“I haven't heard that,” Davis told reporters when asked about Eberflus' comments. “I don't really pay attention to social media.”

Eberflus reiterated Thursday that it's a competition akin to a three-way battle, with Bates, if healthy, able to play center and right guard, and Shelton (center) and Davis (right guard) vying for the two open positions. Remember: When camp opened, it was announced as a battle between Bates and Shelton at center, with Davis established at right guard.

“I would just say one thing about Nate: He worked hard to come back and he did it,” Eberflus said. “It's unfortunate that he sustained those injuries while he was here, but he worked hard every time to come back and when he came back he did a good job. So it's a competition again.”

“We're looking at who the best inside players are for us. That's not clear yet for the center or one-guard position. We have a good feeling about Tev (Jenkins) at (left guard), so we'll see how that develops this week and next week.”

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Eberflus said the team would obviously like to make a decision as soon as possible, but with Davis and now Bates dealing with health issues and more than three weeks remaining until the Sept. 8 opener, there's no rush. So now a player who has a base salary of $8.75 million this season — $7 million of which is guaranteed — is fighting for a starting spot. Maybe it will motivate Davis, who missed four games last season because of injury.

“I just want to show the world what kind of player I really am, especially when I'm healthy,” he said when asked if he had a personal goal for the season. “When the mind is right and the body is right, I know I'm a special player. I'm just excited to show that.”

Davis also dismissed the notion that he is a veteran who doesn't like being on the practice field.

“I've been in this league for a long time and I don't think I could achieve this without training,” he said. “These things happen. I have to keep going.”

His training over the next three weeks will be a key factor in whether he gets a regular place in the first week.

Seen and heard

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow said it wasn't an easy day to throw given the weather conditions, noting that it was a challenge to go against a defense they had no plan for.

He thought the Bengals were good in the running game. But the Bears defense had the upper hand in the passing game, as Byard and cornerback Greg Stroman Jr. caught interceptions from Burrow.

“I tried to disguise the coverage a little bit and read the quarterback's eyes and just kind of got to the ball,” Byard said of his pick. “One of those things where you don't really think about it. You just react, and I was able to stretch out, get the ball, get up and do a pick-six. … The defense, we had a lot of fun today. I want to be the guy that forces a lot of turnovers for this defense. That's what they brought me here to do. So I want to keep it that way.”

Byard said he knew bad weather usually helped the defense, but he was still encouraged by the performance.

“I've played against Joe Burrow a lot over the years. I know what a good quarterback he is,” Byard said. “Anytime you get a chance to go against him and try some of our coverages that confuse him a little bit, it's fun. But I felt like the defense brought a lot of energy.”

Burrow and the rest of the Bengals' starting lineup will not play Saturday, Taylor said earlier this week.

Quote of the note

“I've played with a lot of good cornerbacks over the years … but Jaylon is definitely one of the best I've ever played with. He's a true shutdown cornerback. When there's a lot of different coverages in our approach, like when I see Uno (No. 1) on the guy, I can just leave him alone and talk to the other safety on the other side of the field, like, 'Hey, we can maybe tighten up the coverage because I know he's not giving up anything.' He's a special player and I've really enjoyed playing with him so far.” – Byard on cornerback Jaylon Johnson, who had another solid day during a strong training camp.

Injury report

Bears cornerback Terell Smith left the field with a trainer in the middle of practice.

Bates and safety Jaquan Brisker were the potential starters who were still not used.

Other players who did not play included safety Adrian Colbert, wide receivers DeAndre Carter and Collin Johnson, long snapper Patrick Scales, defensive end Jake Martin and offensive lineman Theo Benedet.

Originally published: August 15, 2024 at 19:40