Biggest observations from the Chicago Bears joint practice with the Titans

The Chicago Bears had their second and final joint practice of the preseason, and went to Nashville for it.

The Bears' had some fun, and perhaps got a little more clarity on some positional battles.

Here are four observations from the Bears' joint practice in Nashville, where the offense shined and the safety battle is shaping up.

Bears’ offense has some fun in Nashville

The Bears’ offense started with some fireworks on Thursday.

They scored on three consecutive plays in a red zone drill early on. D’Andre Swift, Cole Kmet and Zavion Thomas all scored for the Bears, and the offense had fun in Nashville.

Much of that comes down to Caleb Williams. He doesn’t have to relearn concepts or new plays, and he can fit his offseason work on to what he already knows.

"I think it is understanding the play better," Williams said. "It's been fun, it's been exciting."

The Bears second- and third-team offenses had their fun, too.

Tyson Bagent and Case Keenum threw touchdowns and moved the ball. Sam Roush, Jahdae Walker and more receivers got involved. The Bears didn’t zero in on certain players. They operated within the offense and found success in multiple avenues.

It impressed the Titans, to be sure.

"There is no lead safe with Caleb," Titans coach Robert Saleh said. "He’s an unbelievable quarterback. He’s elite off schedule."

This is a good sign considering this is what the Bears were looking at accomplishing this week, anyway. Recognizing the coverage and get the ball where it needs to be.

"We’re honing in this week in particular on some of his situational work and coverage recognition," Bears coach Ben Johnson said. "We’ll get through this block and sit down and reassess where we’re at and what we need to focus on going forward."

Monitor the outside cornerbacks

As if the Bears couldn’t sustain any more injuries, their two starting cornerbacks left practice on Thursday with different injuries.

Jaylon Johnson took himself out of practice with a right arm injury. He didn’t comeback, but he remained on the sidelines and talked trash to the Titans’ offense.

Tyrique Stevenson left practice without putting much weight on his leg after breaking up a pass into the end zone during a team red zone period. He returned to practice, which is a testament to his toughness.

It goes without saying, but any injuries to the Bears’ starting two cornerbacks would be devastating.

Rookie Malik Muhammad was moved from outside cornerback to nickel cornerback because of Kyler Gordon’s injury. It’s not great for the rookie if he has to move back in and outside.

It speaks to Muhammad’s versatility, but the Bears would like a long-time 

Chicago native Carnell Tate shines

The Bears struggled on defense Thursday against one of the top picks in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Cam Ward went to rookie wide receiver Carnell Tate often, and it paid off for the Titans. He unofficially had seven catches for two touchdowns.

The Bears tried rotating different cornerbacks onto Tate. Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson had their chances to defend him. The defense struggled.

Not bad for the Chicago native, starring against his hometown team.

"Nothing made today different," Tate said. "I attack practice each and every day."

The Bears got a good look at a guy who might be one of the top young pass catchers in the league for the next few years.

It just makes sense he’s a Chicago kid.

Safety battle is winding down

When the Bears use their words, it should speak volumes.

If Ben Johnson does not think a rookie is where he needs to be, then he doesn’t shy away from making that known.

That’s why it was notable when he spoke highly of Dillon Thieneman on Thursday morning.

"I don’t even know what his voice sounds like really. He just comes into work and gets after it," Johnson said. "A little bit robotic like that in a good way. I’m saying that as a compliment."

That’s a pretty clear sign Thieneman has the Bears’ strong safety position locked down. When it comes to the free safety position, that leaves a little more to be desired.

With Coby Bryant hurt and out for most of the regular season, the Bears are turning to a battle between Cam Lewis, Skylar Thomas and Xavier Woods.

Lewis took a step forward on Thursday with an interception. Woods laid a massive hit on Titans receiver Wan’Dale Robinson, to which the Titans took offense to. Titans coach Robert Saleh called it "cheap."

It’s a physical style of play the Bears want, even if other teams don’t appreciate it necessarily.

It still feels like, with the preseason winding down, Lewis has made enough plays to earn that starting safety spot next to Thieneman.