The veterans showed out: Standout players from Chicago Bears mandatory minicamp

School's out for the summer, and the Chicago Bears have over a month until training camp begins.

We still caught a glimpse of a few players who are setting themselves up to hit the ground running when the preseason officially begins.

Here are standout players from the Bears' three-day mandatory minicamp from the offense, defense and special team phases off the ball.

Bears minicamp standout players

Defensive Players

Jaylon Johnson

By far, the best player on the field for the three-day stretch was Johnson.

He looks healthy, but more importantly he looks like he has an advanced grasp of what defensive coordinator Dennis Allen wants from his top cornerback. 

Johnson had two interceptions off Caleb Williams in his first day of minicamp, with the most impressive one being a turnover that ended a two-minute drill. Johnson is healthy now, and it’s making a lasting impression on a coaching staff that didn’t see him in training camp and not before an injury in Week 2 kept him out until the second half of the season.

Johnson stacked more of those days as the week went on. It felt like he was everywhere, even when the offense was going away from his side of the field.

Bears coach Ben Johnson was clear about just how Jaylon’s a key part of the team’s future plans on defense, especially now the team gets to see him when he’s healthy.

"I don’t know that I ever saw himself, so it’s hard for me to gauge that particularly this time of year," Ben Johnson said on Wednesday. "I think he had a good day out there yesterday. He’s been able to stack a few of those throughout the OTAs, and I think his mind’s probably getting more confident in terms of the movements he’s making."

Montez Sweat

The Bears didn’t add a pass rusher in the offseason, much to the chagrin of Bears fans, but the team was clear much of that decision was because of how strongly it feels about Montez Sweat.

Ben Johnson had high praise for Sweat, talking about how impressive he was.

"I loved him during the season, but when you watch the self-scout after the year, I think this was a guy that played at a very high level," Johnson said. "I talked to him yesterday about it. I would argue it was the best year of his career."

His skill was evident on the practice field. There were multiple times where Sweat was harassing Williams on pass rushes that nearly got home. They might have been sacks had they been in full pads.

It’ll be tough to get a full read on where the defensive line is until the players put on full pads in training camp, but Sweat was impressive in minicamp.

Sweat remains the most important part of the pass rush this season and the coaching staff thinks highly of him for a reason.

Coby Bryant

Bryant is the Bears’ prized free agent addition, mainly because he now has multiple tasks.

He’s a veteran that’s going to help rookie Dillon Thieneman earn the eventual starting spot the Bears envision for him. He’s also filling in at free safety, taking Kevin Byard’s old spot. That also includes being a defensive leader.

In minicamp, he thrived at all three of those roles.

Bryant’s mentorship of Thieneman is paying off. The rookie got some first-team reps with the defense during minicamp, which was not the case in OTAs. Thieneman earned those reps, and Bryant’s mentorship was a help in that regard. Bryant took Friday off, and the Bears were comfortable giving Thieneman first-team reps the entire day.

Bryant also fits well into Allen’s defense. He had an interception that ended a two-minute drill on Wednesday.

The Bears are going to benefit from Bryant’s skills on and off the field.

"Not to blow smoke up on myself, but a lot of guys respect me with how I go about myself, and how I practice," Bryant said. " DA (Dennis Allen), Ben, a lot of guys have commended me on that as well too. I just go out and be the example."

Offensive Players

Luther Burden

Ben Johnson was open about talking up the second-year receiver. If you’re going to buy stock in a Bears’ receiver, make sure it’s Burden.

He showed why in minicamp.

Williams targeted Rome Odunze, Colston Loveland and Burden the most consistently in minicamp.

Burden’s best play of the week was when he shook Thieneman and hauled in a great pass from Williams. Burden had the focus to grab it, keep his feet and peel towards the end zone.

If it were an in-game play, Burden probably scores. Instead, the referees at Halas Hall ruled him down at the five. The playmaking ability Burden has, not only to shake off defenders but to make tough catches and create yards after the catch, will flourish in the Bears’ offense this year.

Zavion Thomas

The Bears’ pecking order of receivers is clear: Loveland, Odunze, Burden, Cole Kmet and Kalif Raymond.

The Bears could add to that pecking order, and Thomas is on his way to proving he deserves a few plays in the Bears’ offense.

The Bears’ third-round pick out of LSU has SEC speed. He showed that in minicamp where he took a few short passes and turned them into long gains or touchdowns. Thomas has ways to go, but the Bears like the energy he’s brought to the receiver room.

Now, it’s about taking that energy and applying it in the way the coaching staff wants.

"If we can harness all this energy and make sure that we can trust him and that he's going to align where he needs to and run the route the way we need him to, we really could use him and he could be a big weapon for us this year. But that's what we're trying to harness right now," Johnson said. "I think he's developing the work ethic that we expect, not only from a receiver, but from anyone on offense, or the team."

Special Teams

Cairo Santos

The Bears had Jake Moody fill in for Santos last year. Santos hasn't lost a step, though.

Santos was perfect on the final day of minicamp. He hit from as far as 60 yards out, and all his kicks on the final day had to deal with the impending storms blowing into the northern Illinois and Chicagoland area.

Any concerns about Santos have been quelled for the time being.

BearsSports