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Chicago Tribune
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Jaylon Johnson among 4 Chicago Bears on the non-football injury list as training camp nears
Cornerback Jaylon Johnson was one of four Chicago Bears players placed on the non-football injury list Saturday afternoon, a surprise twist as the team readies for training camp. Other Bears given the NFI designation were backup quarterback Case Keenum, second-year running back Ian Wheeler and receiver Jahdae Walker, an undrafted rookie out of Texas A&M. Johnson, the team's top cornerback, was by far the most significant name on the list with no immediate clarity on the specifics of his ailment. Quarterbacks and rookies began checking in to Halas Hall on Saturday for training camp with the full team's reporting date coming Tuesday. The Bears' first practice is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. Wednesday. Players with NFI status — designated as such due to an injury or illness that occurred away from official team activity — are ineligible to practice until cleared but still count against a team's 90-man roster limit. Players who remain on the NFI list after the league's final cutdown day at the end of the preseason are required to miss a minimum of four games. Johnson, who signed a four-year, $76 million extension during the 2024 offseason, was not present for the entirety of the team's mandatory minicamp last month, with Bears coach Ben Johnson acknowledging his absence as 'excused.' (Jaylon Johnson's charity golf tournament was taking place that week in California.) Ben Johnson and general manager Ryan Poles are scheduled to address the media Tuesday afternoon at Halas Hall. The team already has a short list of significant players with injuries that might affect their availability for the start of camp, including Braxton Jones (ankle), Colston Loveland (shoulder) and Luther Burden III (undisclosed). Jaylon Johnson's status will be worth monitoring as the team marches into Ben Johnson's first camp as coach with designs on becoming a playoff contender this season.
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
LOOK: Caleb Williams is back at Halas Hall for training camp
The long wait is over as we're just days away from the first practice of Chicago Bears training camp. While the first practice isn't until next week, rookies, quarterbacks and injured players reported to Halas Hall on Saturday. Veterans are set to report on Tuesday before the first closed practice Wednesday morning. Quarterback Caleb Williams is entering an important second season following an impactful offseason where the franchise built around him. That included the hiring of head coach Ben Johnson, who's regarded as one of the NFL's best offensive minds, revamping the offensive line and adding even more weapons for him to use. The Bears social media account shared a first look at Williams reporting to training camp on Saturday, and he's ready to go. Williams had a chaotic rookie season that featured an in-season head coach firing, three different offensive coordinators, being sacked a league-high 68 times, a 10-game losing streak and a 5-12 record. Still, Williams impressed with 3,541 yards, 20 touchdowns and just six interceptions. Now, with Johnson running the show, expectations are high for Williams in Year 2, especially after all the new additions to bolster the roster around him. First up: An important training camp where he'll continue to be tested by Johnson and his new coaching staff and a defense with some talented players. Follow Bears Wire on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Chicago Bears training camp: Caleb Williams arrives at Halas Hall
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Chicago Bears rookies, quarterbacks report for training camp
The wait is finally over as the Chicago Bears are gearing up for the start of training camp next week under new head coach Ben Johnson. Bears rookies and quarterbacks report to Halas Hall beginning Saturday, July 19. The rest of the team will report to the team's Lake Forest facility on Tuesday, July 22. Chicago will practice for the first time on Wednesday, July 23, which is closed to the public. The Bears' first open practice will be on Friday, where a free ticket is required for entry. The Bears have an impressive group of rookies this year, including several who are expected to be immediate contributors. That includes tight end Colston Loveland, wide receiver Luther Burden III and offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo and defensive tackle Shemar Turner. Other notable rookies include linebacker Ruben Hyppolite II, cornerback Zah Frazier, offensive lineman Luke Newman and running back Kyle Monangai. All eight rookie draft picks are under contract following a delay in second-round signings, where Burden, Trapilo and Turner inked their deals recently. Quarterback Caleb Williams is entering his sophomore season and will have a strong supporting cast around him. Chicago prioritized building around Williams this offseason, including the hiring of Johnson, revamping the interior offensive line and adding even more weapons to the mix. Safe to say, the stage is set for a Year 2 breakout. Meanwhile, veteran Case Keenum was brought in to serve as another voice in the quarterback room while also competing with Tyson Bagent for the backup job. Bears 2025 training camp schedule Wednesday, July 23 (8:30 a.m. CT) Thursday, July 24 (8:30 a.m. CT) Friday, July 25 (8:30 a.m. CT) - OPEN Saturday, July 26 (8:30 a.m. CT) - OPEN Monday, July 28 (8:30 a.m. CT) Tuesday, July 29 (8:30 a.m. CT) - OPEN Wednesday, July 30 (8:30 a.m. CT) - OPEN Thursday, July 31 (8:30 a.m. CT) - OPEN Saturday, August 2 (8:30 a.m. CT) - OPEN Sunday, August 3 (Family Fest) - OPEN Monday, August 4 (10:10 a.m. CT) Tuesday, August 5 (11:40 a.m. CT) Thursday, August 7 (11 a.m. CT) - OPEN Friday, August 8 (10:30 a.m. CT) - Joint practice with Dolphins - OPEN Monday, August 11 (12:30 p.m. CT) Wednesday, August 13 (12:30 p.m. CT) - OPEN Thursday, August 14 (11 a.m. CT) - OPEN Friday, August 15 (10:30 a.m. CT) - Joint practice with Bills - OPEN Monday, August 18 (8:30 a.m. CT) Wednesday, August 20 (12:30 p.m. CT) Follow Bears Wire on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears training camp: Rookies, quarterbacks report to Halas Hall
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Chicago Bears rookie outlook: What to know about the 8 draft picks before training camp
Here's what Chicago Bears fans need to know about the team's eight draft picks before rookies report for training camp. Sign up for Bears Insider for everything you need to know Bears training camp includes 11 practices open to public — and Family Fest is back at Soldier Field Who did the Bears select in the 2025 NFL draft? Meet the 8-player class. The Bears raised some eyebrows when they selected Michigan tight end Colston Loveland with the No. 10 pick. It wasn't that Loveland wasn't deserving of being a top-10 pick but more so the notion that the team had bigger needs at offensive tackle or on the defensive line. But the Bears are doing things differently under coach Ben Johnson. The tight end position is a priority. Read more here. Four wide receivers were selected in the first round of the NFL draft in April. Luther Burden III was not among them. In the second round, when the 39th pick came around and Burden was still available, coach Ben Johnson and the Bears were happy to swoop in. The move came as somewhat of a surprise, given that the Bears already had DJ Moore and Rome Odunze on the roster. Johnson saw a chance to add a playmaker. Read more here. The battle is on at left tackle. GM Ryan Poles promised competition at the position in February, and he provided it in the form of 6-foot-8 Boston College tackle Ozzy Trapilo. The Bears drafted Trapilo in the second round at No. 56. Trapilo, who agreed to a contract Thursday, spent the spring competing with second-year pro Kiran Amegadjie for reps at left tackle. Incumbent starter Braxton Jones will join the competition when he returns from an ankle injury. Those three should provide the most intriguing position battle during training camp. Read more here. The Bears continued their offseason focus on the trenches when they drafted Texas A&M defensive tackle Shemar Turner with a second-round pick (No. 62) in April. The Bears already had signed defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo during free agency. But in Turner, general manager Ryan Poles and coach Ben Johnson saw a defensive tackle who plays with a fire they like. Read more here. Chances are, many Bears fans had never heard of Ruben Hyppolite II. When the Bears drafted Hyppolite at No. 132 in the fourth round in April, his name was relatively unknown. The Maryland linebacker wasn't among the 329 players invited to the NFL scouting combine in February. But his name certainly was one Bears coach Ben Johnson and general manager Ryan Poles were interested in. Read more here. Length comes up a lot when talking about offensive and defensive linemen. NFL teams want tackles with long arms. The same is true for edge rushers, who have to battle with those long-armed offensive tackles. Bears general manager Ryan Poles has shown an affinity for drafting long-armed players at another position group: defensive back. He found another one when he selected Zah Frazier out of Texas-San Antonio in April in the fifth round (No. 169). Frazier's 32⅞-inch arms were the second-longest of any cornerback measured at the NFL scouting combine in February. Length alone won't land Frazier a spot on the team, but the Bears are optimistic he has the physical tools to develop into a quality NFL cornerback. Read more here. Even after investing heavily in veteran offensive linemen in March, the Bears weren't done bolstering the protection in front of quarterback Caleb Williams. NFL offensive lines always can use extra help. Coach Ben Johnson has said it several times since he was hired — it's not only about having five great starters but being able to go seven, eight or nine deep. Injuries often make that a necessity. The Bears found additional help in the draft when they selected Luke Newman out of Michigan State with a sixth-round pick (No. 195). . Twenty-one running backs were selected in the 2025 NFL draft ahead of Kyle Monangai. Bears general manager Ryan Poles selected Monangai in the seventh round (No. 233) with the team's final pick. Monangai comes to Chicago after back-to-back 1,200-yard seasons at Rutgers. He joins a backfield that returns starter D'Andre Swift and last year's No. 2 option, Roschon Johnson. Read more here.
New York Times
a day ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Caleb Williams, Rome Odunze, Joe Thuney give Bears' offense unusual hope for camp
Only three times in the past 30 years have the Chicago Bears placed in the top 10 in total offense — and none of those seasons ranked higher than eighth. Enter head coach Ben Johnson, three high-priced interior offensive linemen, a top-10 pick at tight end, a second-round wide receiver and a Heisman Trophy winner in his second season. Advertisement Expectations for what the Bears offense could be in the next few seasons are unfamiliar to this city, and recently when there has been hype for the offense, it has not panned out (see: 2024, 2019, 2014). It's been a long time since the roster on offense looks this good. Games aren't played on paper, and the Bears offense tends to lag when training camp gets underway. Will this year be different? Here's Part II of our look at the Bears' roster heading into camp. This is the offense. Caleb Williams — The excitement is palpable. Pairing Williams' natural abilities with someone like Johnson could give the Bears what they've swung and missed at for decades. If that's true, we should see signs of it right away in camp — real signs of progress and the ability for Williams to take off. Tyson Bagent — Two years ago, Bagent was the No. 4 quarterback. Now he's attempting to hang on to his role as the No. 2, and he even received a bunch of votes in our 'whose jersey would you buy?' survey question. He's not someone to doubt this time of year. Or maybe any time of year. Case Keenum — In his only game at Soldier Field, Keenum came in for Sam Bradford and completed 17 of 21 passes with a touchdown in a Vikings win over the Bears in 2017, spoiling Mitch Trubisky's debut. Austin Reed — After a 12-of-16 passing performance last preseason with a touchdown, we should see more from Reed this year, especially with the two joint practices likely limiting what Williams does in the preseason. Will he do enough to return to the practice squad, but not too much to get poached? D'Andre Swift — On one hand, a highly paid running back who had some outstanding runs when the Bears offense clicked returns and reunites with a play caller who knows him well. On the other hand, the Bears were in play for early round backs in the draft, and Swift wasn't consistently productive enough last season. Regardless of how he's viewed, he's RB1. Advertisement Roschon Johnson — There's a thought at Halas Hall that this coaching staff can better use Johnson. He has to stay healthy but is built to complement Swift. Kyle Monangai — Few seventh-round picks have generated as much buzz as Monangai. Now we'll see if he can live up to it this preseason. Travis Homer — Every team has those couple of players whose value goes beyond the usual box score. That's Homer and what he brings to special teams. Ian Wheeler — A 'Hard Knocks' darling last summer, Wheeler's torn ACL was a gut-wrenching moment on the HBO show. He's back, he's fast, but the practice squad is likely his destination. Deion Hankins — With the size to punish defenses (226 pounds), Hankins should get plenty of carries in the preseason. DJ Moore — Two summers ago, Moore was the star of training camp. There wasn't a close second. I tend to think that 'body language' and 'effort' got conflated last season. He and Williams need to develop a better rapport, but Moore shouldn't be a concern. Let's see if that talent is evident on the Halas Hall fields. Rome Odunze — Our fan survey showed how much love there is for Odunze in town. He could be a special player, and that's without even getting to the cliched Year 2 bump he should enjoy. Luther Burden III — Atop any 'players to watch' list. We haven't seen Burden on the field since rookie minicamp, so that's test No. 1. After that, someone with his skill set should absolutely shine in a training camp setting. Olamide Zaccheaus — A potentially underrated signing, Zaccheaus played an important role in Washington last season. He caught 70.3 percent of passes thrown his way. Devin Duvernay — The leader in the clubhouse to be the team's returner, his speed will be showcased in camp. Tyler Scott — The three players above may have supplanted Scott. In his third training camp, can his top-end speed help keep him on the roster as a reserve receiver and backup returner? Advertisement Miles Boykin — Illinois high school football fans will know the name well. He didn't live up to his third-round billing in Baltimore. He caught six passes combined from 2021 to 2023. John Jackson — Williams' close friend from USC, Jackson's best shot is to remain with the practice squad. Samori Toure — He had two catches for 18 yards for the Packers in their 38-20 win over the Bears in 2023. Maurice Alexander — Spent the 2022-24 seasons with the Lions, so he'll bring some institutional knowledge to the receivers room. JP Richardson — My pick for the preseason leader in receptions. Jahdae Walker — My pick for the preseason leader in yards per catch. Cole Kmet — Officially the longest-tenured Bear, Kmet has gone through the following play callers: Matt Nagy, Bill Lazor, Nagy again, I think Lazor again, then Luke Getsy, Shane Waldron, Thomas Brown and now Johnson. Here's hoping Kmet can gain a little stability with his playbook. Colston Loveland — Being a top-10 pick at a skill position who did not participate in spring practices, Loveland is a top-five 'player to watch' this summer. How quickly can he become a threat in the passing game? With his skill set and this offense, it might not be long. Durham Smythe — In seven NFL seasons, Smythe has missed only seven games. He won't be asked to do much, but his knowledge of the system should help the starting tight ends. Joel Wilson — Known best for getting name-dropped by the head coach at the end of minicamp, Wilson is looking to play in his first NFL game since entering the league in 2023. Stephen Carlson — Two days after getting promoted from the practice squad, Carlson broke his collarbone — brutal timing after a strong summer. He has appeared in one game since 2020. Jordan Murray — A good look into how hard it can be to get on the field: Murray has been with the Colts, Texans, Cardinals and Giants since 2022 but has yet to appear in an NFL game. Darnell Wright — Wright didn't seem to be fully healthy last season, preventing a big jump in performance. With a new offense and coaching staff, let's see how much he can ascend. The tools are there. Jonah Jackson — The lineman we might talk about the least, Jackson had a frustrating season in Los Angeles and now reunites with Johnson. He did go to the Pro Bowl after the 2021 season. Advertisement Drew Dalman — Set to be the Bears' fourth Week 1 starter at center in four years, Dalman is supposed to be the one to end that shuffling. He was the top center available and is already a fan favorite. Joe Thuney — Impress your friends in the stands at training camp by telling them about Stan Jones, the last Bears guard to be named first-team All-Pro … in 1959. Braxton Jones — No one has greater financial variance on the line this season. If Jones wins the starting job, stays healthy and holds his own at left tackle, he could get a massive contract. If he spends the year as a backup, then he might be looking at a one-year, prove-it deal next winter. Ozzy Trapilo — Without pads on, Trapilo sure looked the part in spring practices. Now the real football starts, and we'll see how quickly the rookie can be counted on to protect Williams' blind side. Kiran Amegadjie — You'll be hard-pressed to find someone with a tougher-luck rookie season. No OTAs, minicamp, training camp or preseason, only to get thrust into the lineup on short notice against one of the best defenses in football in prime time and on the road. Amegadjie certainly could still be the long-term swing backup. Ryan Bates — For some time last spring and summer, he was going to be the one to end the Bears' drought at center. Or he could've started at guard. But Bates had trouble staying on the field and has a $4 million cap hit. It's worth it if he's the top backup on the interior. Will he be? Luke Newman — It might be too much to expect a sixth-round rookie to be the one to make Bates expendable, but Newman's versatility will be worth watching this summer. Bill Murray — How would last season have looked if Murray didn't tear his pec? In limited snaps, he played really well after an impressive summer. Obvious award for best name on the offense. Advertisement Doug Kramer — He's back for Year 4, and two massive flubs last season overshadowed what was a big step forward for him as a center. Ricky Stromberg — Each year, a player at the bottom of the depth chart elicits a lot of mailbag questions. Stromberg had been that guy before the Dalman signing. He still has potential as a third-rounder. Chris Glaser — The Honolulu native played in three games last season. Theo Benedet — An injury ended Benedet's rookie preseason. He has a great story coming from Canada and some positional versatility. Jordan McFadden — A 2023 fifth-round pick, McFadden started two games as a rookie for the Chargers. Joshua Miles — Since entering the league in 2019, Miles has been involved in 28 transactions and appeared in 18 games. Life in the NFL. (Top photo of Rome Odunze: Alex Slitz / Getty Images)
