What the Chicago Bears are looking for in their joint practice with the Bengals
Bears-Bengals Joint Practice Preview | Chicago Sports Tonight
The Athletic's Dan Wiederer joins Fox Chicago's Cassie Carlson to break down the biggest news out of Halas Hall as the Chicago Bears head to Cincinnati for crucial joint practice reps against Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, and the Bengals. The Bears' banged-up secondary is facing a massive test this week, especially rookie cornerback Malik Muhammad, who is stepping into the slot with Kyler Gordon still sidelined by a calf injury. Meanwhile, the left tackle battle has turned into absolute musical chairs as Braxton Jones returns to 1-on-1 reps, Theo Benedet moves sides, and Ozzy Trapilo looms in the shadows. Plus, we react to Marcus Davenport's arrival, D'Andre Swift's explosive camp, and whether starters should even play on Saturday night.
The Chicago Bears had a light day on Wednesday in an effort to set up a much more important day on Thursday.
That’s when the Bears have their joint practice with the Cincinnati Bengals.
There, the coaching staff will take a hard look at every rep. It’s not a stretch to say this first of two joint practices will go a long way in determining who makes the Bears’ final roster.
"I think that's going to make for a really good next two weeks as guys try to separate themselves and make it clear that they belong on the 53 or on the practice squad," Bears coach Ben Johnson said.
Here’s what the Bears want to see from their joint practice this week.
Eyes on the defense:
The Bears finally get to hit someone else for a change. That’s what the players are most looking forward to. They’ll see some different looks compared to what they have originally seen since the start of training camp.
For the defense, it goes beyond actually physically hitting opposing players. The coaches will look into the defense’s ability to cover Tee Higgins and JaMarr Chase, two of the best receivers in the NFL. Not to mention, one of the league's best quarterback in Joe Burrow will be throwing to them.
"I think our ability to line up and cover elite receivers in our league and see where we're at in terms of being able to do that," Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen said. "We play some talented receiving corps in our own division, so this will be a great test for us again, like I said, and an opportunity for us to step up and see where we're at."
The Bears are hurting on defense. The safety position is thin, and the Bears might not have Tyrique Stevenson for the rest of this week and perhaps longer.
This gives the Bears a chance to see how rookie cornerback Malik Muhammad, veteran safety Cam Lewis and a rotation of nickel cornerbacks fares against a talented passing attack.
After that, the Bears can adjust.
"It gives us a chance to evaluate where we're at as a defense, what we can do well, what we need to, potentially look to as we get into game-planning thoughts," Allen said. "How we're going to be as a defense and how we're going to scheme."
Eyes on the offense:
Overall, the Bears and Bengals will get just under two and a half hours of practice in.
Johnson is excited to see what comes of it all, especially as the Bengals have been planning this for months.
"It was probably in May that he sent over what he wanted the practice to look like," Johnson said on Tuesday. "There were field diagrams and all that and so it's really detailed. I know they put a lot of time into what we want this to look like."
This will give the Bears a chance to address a few key offensive position battles.
There aren’t many the Bears need to tend to within their starting offense. Their wide receiver, tight end, running back and offensive line depth chart is relatively set. Even though Luther Burden III, Kyle Monangai and Ozzy Trapilo won’t participate with injuries, they’re guaranteed spots in this offense when they’re healthy.
However, some spots need a closer eye. The left tackle, back-up running back and sixth receiver battles could develop further in Cincinnati.
Johnson said this week he had wished there was a little bit more clarity at this point at some positions. For those who want to make the roster, the coaches are giving some fringe players a big chance to show they belong.
"We've been talking about it for a couple weeks now it seems like and how big that'll be just to assess where we're at as a team," Johnson said. "We had a really good staff meeting yesterday with the player day off, just being able to see where we're at, and there's competition throughout this roster right now."