Chicago Bears training camp: Takeaways and standouts from Friday's joint practice with Miami

On a warm August day, the Chicago Bears defense turned up the temperature.

The Bears' defense swarmed and swamped the Miami Dolphins in Friday's joint practice that featured most of the first-team players getting the bulk of the reps.

The Bears' offense is a differen

Here are our takeaways and standout players from Friday's joint practice with the Dolphins.

The press-man scheme fits the Bears' defense like a glove

The Dolphins were without super speedster Tyreek Hill, but most of Miami's first-team offense was on the field Friday.

The Bears finished the day with three interceptions on Tua Tagovailoa. Up to this point, Tagovailoa had only thrown one during Dolphins' camp.

"They ain't played us," safety Kevin Byard III said. 

The defense also had multiple forced fumbles, multiple sacks and multiple tackles for loss on the Dolphins first-team offense. Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds put the finishing touches on the day with a goal-line interception of Tagovailoa for the third and final pick off on the day.

Most of the positive plays started in the secondary, leading to the other units making plays in the backfield or elsewhere. A lot of this comes back to the press-man scheme defensive coordinator Dennis Allen has installed. 

"We just came out with the right intensity," Byard said. "Still a lot of things to clean up, but I think if we play like we practiced today, we're going to be pretty good."

Throughout camp, Allen's scheme has shined. But, Friday was where it really showed it was a good fit for this Bears' defensive unit.

The secondary was aggressive in one-on-one match-ups. They toed the line between being physical and drawing penalties in coverage, but they didn't yield big plays. Challenging the Miami offense in the way they did was a boon, especially with Tagovailoa and offensive-minded head coach Mike McDaniel.

"A lot of it is getting communication down," Byard said. "We're making good progress." 

The offense remains uneven

Compared to the start of camp, the offense has found some footing. It's still in need of some work.

The Bears' offense sputtered at times during team drills, including the red zone drills at the end where the first-team Bears' offense failed to get into the end zone.

Quarterback Caleb Williams, by an unofficial count, completed 16 of his 28 passes on the day with a touchdown and an interception. That interception came on the first play of 11-on-11 drills, where Williams tried to hit tight end Cole Kmet with a short pass to the left. The ball sailed and was intercepted.

Williams didn't turn the ball over after that. He did have a long touchdown pass to Olamide Zaccheus where Williams scrambled and hit Zaccheus on the run, who made defenders miss on the way to the end zone.

There needs to be better execution, especially when the offense was flagged five times on the day, but this joint practice was also a bench mark for the offense to see what's working and what's not.

And then, there were two in the left tackle battle

The Bears' communication staff put out an unofficial depth chart earlier this week, and it listed Braxton Jones as the first-team left tackle with rookie Ozzy Trapilo behind Jones.

Those two, Jones and Trapilo, will cycle at left tackle, along with second-year player Theo Benedet.

"We'll end up having Braxton, Ozzy and Theo," Bears' head coach Ben Johnson said. "Those guys will all be cycling through throughout that game. They'll get the workload really on both sides."

Kiran Amegadije, who was in competition for the left tackle position, was the second-team right tackle on the unofficial depth chart. Amegadije remains sidelined with an injury.

While Johnson hopes Amegadije can rejoin the left tackle race eventually, it seems to be a battle between Jones and Trapilo at this point with Amegadije on the outside looking in. 

"He's missing some quality reps there," Johnson said. "He was getting better too. That's the shame of it. He's getting better. We're very pleased with the trajectory of where he was headed and hopefully we'll get him back here sooner rather than later so he can get right back into that mix."

Standout Players

Nahshon Wright:

Most assumed the top cornerback in Jaylon Johnson's absence would be Tyrique Stevenson. That's partially been the case.

Stevenson has played well. But, Wright has played better. Wright had the tip that led to Byard's interception. He also had more pass break ups on Friday, working his way up the depth chart.

When Johnson returns from the non-football injury list, Wright might be in a position to challenge Stevenson for the second starting cornerback role.

"He's been playing some big-time ball," Byard said.

Olamide Zaccheus:

Zaccheus' long touchdown catch in 11-on-11 team drills was another example of the connection between Zaccheus and Williams.

It's been a budding relationship from the beginning of the offseason programs to present-day in training camp. Now, though, the relationship is beginning to take shape in terms of big plays and moving the ball vertically.

Look for that connection to spur the offense in the early days of the season. 

Jaquan Brisker:

Brisker had a fantastic day.

He was flying around the field against the Dolphins' first-team offense. He had an interception that he celebrated with plenty of energy. He created positive plays for the Bears' defense and negative plays for the Dolphins' offense.

With Brisker finally healthy, the Bears' defense is starting to see how his play can resonate with the new Bears' defensive scheme. He's talented enough to play fast and take risks without putting the defense in harm's way. 

Colston Loveland:

Loveland showed off his consistency on Friday. He ran crisp routes and caught the short-yard passes that were scripted for him, before ripping off a 50-yard touchdown.

Tyson Bagent hit Loveland, and the rookie broke through two defenders on his way to the end zone. The rookie is making the plays in camp he needs to in order to show he deserves looks when the downs officially count.