Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears are on their first road trip of the 2026 (pre)season, taking on the Cincinnati Bengals in the Queen City for a joint practice before facing them in Week 2 of the exhibition slate.
The results were mixed, to be sure, but the day featured plenty of encouraging moments that the Bears can look to build upon in-game and during the upcoming week of practice.
Williams also received some strong words from a national NFL insider.
Bears & Bengals Joint Practice Leads News Roundup
Caleb Williams, Bears Battle Bengals
The Bears’ and Bengals’ joint practice had it all: big plays from Williams and the offense and their injury-maligned defense, as well as some teachable moments for head coach Ben Johnson to harp on.
Williams and the Bears’ offense were actually good for most of the session before a sloppy ending that he owned up to.
The good news is that a practice is exactly the place to test himself, and Williams delivered.
The Bears’ defense started slowly, but they got theirs, which is encouraging, given all of the injuries on the back end and, really, at all three levels. It remains to be seen which starters on either side of the ball will play on Saturday, though.
Johnson said he placed a great deal of value on the joint session, and Bengals HC Zac Taylor has already decided to rest his 1s.
That could impact Johnson’s decision-making.
Bears Get Best News Possible in Joint Practice
The Bears saw wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud throw a punch during the joint practice with the Bengals. The situation could have turned ugly with the veteran outnumbered early. However, the Bears’ biggest win of the day was that the Bears emerged without any injuries.
They had a scare with reserve defensive end Jamree Kromah, but he was able to return to the session.
Moreover, several injured Bears made the trip.
Among them were Kyler Gordon and Luther Burden III, both of whom are starters and sorely missed. But the Bears also had reserve Jaylon Jones, 2025 second-round pick Shemar Turner, and new defensive end Marcus Davenport all in attendance.
The Bears are still depleted. Still, this was as encouraging a sign as they have had in weeks amid a surge of players going down.
Caleb Williams Buzz Building
Williams’ day in Cincinnati kind of encapsulated what he is as a QB right now. He is dynamic and always a threat, but still has plenty of room to grow.
So far this offseason, Williams has been everything the Bears have asked for.
There is still a long way to go. It remains to be seen how Williams performs during game action in Year 2. But he has checked the necessary boxes so far during the offseason program and training camp.
Leave a Reply