The 16th practice of Chicago Bears 2024 training camp was light, even with players donning shells.
Caleb Williams? session was reminiscent of so many others during camp, dotted with some incompletions, an interception (by Trumaine Edmunds), and some big-time throws, including a deep touchdown to fellow rookie and first-round pick Rome Odunze.
Defensive coordinator Eric Washington, defensive tackle Andrew Billings, left tackle Braxton Jones, and pass rusher Dominique Robinson spoke after practice.
Bears Training Camp Notes: Braxton Jones’ Progress
Braxton Jones Sees Progress vs Bull Rush in Bears Training Camp
Jones has been up front about his issues with handling opponents? bull rush since he arrived in 2022. He spoke candidly about it being a work in progress at the outset of camp too. Asked where he is at with two and a half weeks of camp remaining, Jones was optimistic.
?As camp?s progressed, I definitely think it’s gotten a lot better for myself,? Jones told Clocker Sports after Tuesday?s practice. ?I’m starting to really see the numbers to me when I get back in my set. And I really see those numbers and starting to punch them and anchoring down on it a lot better, so I’m starting to see it a lot quicker.
?I still think there’s just some improvement when they’re attacking my inside shoulder. But other than that I’m definitely getting better each day.?
Jones logged 20 offensive snaps, per Pro Football Focus.
He will get a much more vigorous test in the future, though it will not come versus the Cincinnati Bengals, who are resting their starters in the tilt on August 17.
Andrew Billings Touts DT Room?s Progress
Billings is doing things differently this year. Not only is he playing more 3-technique rather than strictly being a nose tackle, but he is also helping bring along a different group of reserve linemen after helping rear Gervon Dexter Sr. and Zacch Pickens in 2023.
Billings has said Dexter and Pickens are on their own this year are he helps with the new crop of newcomers. But he also noted the entire group is progressing when asked for under-the-radar standouts.
?Zacch, Dex all of them,? Billings told Clocker Sports on Tuesday. ?They all are. They all are. I’ve seen knockback and the improvement. They really are catching my eye, because when they first got here it didn’t look too good. And now, you see them out there getting knock-backs, getting sacks, stopping the run. It’s all positives for all those guys.?
The group includes 28-year-old veteran Byron Cowart as well as younger players in Michael Dwumfour and undrafted rookie free agent Jaylon Hutchings. They are thin on proven depth behind the top three of Billings, Dexter, and Pickens.
The Bears need Billings? assessment to ring true.
Dominique Robinson on Opportunity/Special Teams
Robinson entered the league as a recently converted wide receiver, a situation that meant it would take time for him to realize his potential at defensive end.
Robinson made no bones when asked if he felt the pressure to perform coming into camp.
?Being realistic? Yeah,? Robinson told reporters on Tuesday. ?I’ve been put in a position where, in my head, I feel like it’s either I take the spot or it’s football, so it’s business. So I came in trying to prove a point.
He has recorded 2.0 sacks in two seasons and saw his snap share dip significantly from his rookie season in 2022 to 2023.
He has seen 29 defensive snaps through two games, per PFF.
Robinson could need a strong showing in the remaining two preseason games and practice to secure a significant role in a rotation that could use another presence to step up consistently opposite Montez Sweat.
DeMarcus Walker is in line to start there. But he could be needed on the interior on pass rushing downs. If Robinson cannot make an impact defensively, special teams may be his calling.
?You make plays on ST, trust me, they gonna find a way,? Robinson said.
Eric Washington Praises Young EDGE Rushers
Robinson certainly cannot rest solely on special teams work, though. Not when the likes of rookie fifth-round pick Austin Booker and former Los Angeles Rams seventh-round Daniel Hardy are putting splash plays on film.
Booker and Hardy both recorded 2.5 sacks versus the Bills on August 10.
Bears defensive coordinator Eric Washington was pleased with what he saw from both players in the game and during camp.
?[Booker]’s getting better and he’s doing some good things,? Washington told reporters on August 13. ?He had some production on the quarterback, he was physical with his rushes, he never gave up on his rushes, he kept himself in contention. So he’s doing some really nice things.?
?I think he’s got an innate feel, and the good rushers are hard to hit. They’re hard to stall and they understand, at max speed, how to engage their hands, how to contort their body, how to counter at max speed without having to slow themselves down and allow the protection to kind of catch up with what they’re doing whether they’re staying outside or trying to work inside. He has a great feel for that.
Washington said Booker is still working through marrying his physical abilities with the mental aspects of playing the position. The coach said he did not want to get too far ahead of himself with Booker after two preseason games, noting how much more work the rookie needed.
Washington also had positive notes on Hardy.
?His production has been really good in practice,? Washington said of Hardy. ?I’ve seen glimpses of that before as we’ve moved through the offseason and through our training camp and he’s finding a way to factor during the preseason games. He’s finding a way to win, to do it with the level of urgency that we need when we’re rushing four guys, and he’s in tremendous condition. His conditioning is outstanding.?
Hardy spent the 2023 season on the Bears practice squad and has six games of regular season experience with the Rams to his credit.
None of Booker, Hardy, or Robinson appear ready to start just yet. But they could combine to make a formidable set of rotation pass rushers. Even with Sweat?s addition, the Bears still ranked 31st in team sacks in 2023.
Injury Roundup and Former Bears News
The Bears? injury list remains in flux. Sweat, Nate Davis, and Kyler Gordon took part in some portions of practice on Tuesday. However, all three had gone to do side work by the end of the session.
Still, it is marked progress for Sweat, who was running hills last week, and Davis who was on the verge of a full-blown position battle with Ryan Bates judging from Eberflus? comments. Bates was doing side work on Tuesday after exiting the team portion of last Thursday?s practice.
Jaquan Brisker, Roschon Johnson, Collin Johnson, Noah Sewell all did side work.
Notably, reserves Jacob Martin and Theo Benedet (aka the Canadian Eagle) were both present for the first time in weeks. They also remained sidelined, though.
The only player not in attendance was Pat Scales, whom Eberflus said was dealing with a soft tissue injury. While the injury list is largely unchanged, some of the players on it have made significant strides since they first went down.
There were also no new additions, which has to be viewed as a win at this point.
In former Bears news, Demetric Felton has landed with the Indianapolis Colts after they claimed him off waivers on August 12. The Bears waived Felton to sign Hutchings.