Day 5, Practice 6 of the Chicago Bears’ 2025 training camp was sweltering and the first with pads on. Bears players felt it, like starting center Drew Dalman, who spoke candidly about the day and his experience so far, including his new linemates, after the session.
Dalman was one of the Bears’ prized 2025 offseason acquisitions, part of a retooled interior offensive line, but the only one who was signed in free agency.
The others – Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson – were acquired via trade.
Jaquan Brisker Happy to Hit Again in Bears Training Camp
Bears S Jaquan Brisker: ‘It Felt Great’ to Put Pads On
Fourth-year safety Jaquan Brisker missed the Bears’ final 12 games of the 2024 season with a concussion. He has been among the constants in practice, which is an encouraging sign, given the type of injury that he had.
For Brisker, putting the pads on on Monday was a significant step in his journey back.
“It felt great,” Brisker told Clocker Sports after practice. “It just felt great just putting on the pads, things like that. Getting back to hitting and just getting used to running around with the pads.”
Brisker lamented a missed opportunity for a takeaway, touted Grady Jarrett and Kyler Gordon as fellow vocal leaders, and revealed that new Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen is moving him around the defense.
It is a big year for Brisker, who is in the final year of his four-year, $7.3 million rookie contract.
Brisker was the No. 48 overall pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, nine slots after Gordon, who inked a four-year, $40 million extension this offseason.
Luther Burden III Returns to Practice
Absent on the field since rookie minicamp, second-round draft pick Luther Burden III got back in the mix on Monday. Burden took the practice field for position drills but was a spectator for team periods.
Still, it is a significant step in the right direction after Johnson acknowledged that the No. 39 overall pick had missed “a lot” while sidelined.
Burden figures to have some ground to make up.
Veteran free agent pickup Olamide Zaccheaus has shown well so far, developing a rapport with Williams. However, fellow wide receiver and Bears 2024 first-round pick Rome Odunze expressed confidence in Burden’s ability to catch up and thrive.
“He’s been handling his responsibilities from what he’s capable of doing right now,” Odunze told Clocker Sports on Saturday. “As much as you can help him with just talking about the offense, and him learning and seeing different things. It’s going to take getting reps, of course, to kind of fully grasp it and fully get into it.
“I’m not worried about it. I got to watch him in college do his thing. And when he was healthy, he was doing his thing here. So, he’s a fast learner, and he’ll get up to speed real quick.”
Drew Dalman Learning From & Building Chemistry With Bears Teammates
The Bears signed Dalman from the Atlanta Falcons, giving him a three-year, $42 million contract with $26.5 million guaranteed.
Jackson inked a three-year, $44.5 million extension after the Bears acquired him in a trade with the Los Angeles Rams. The Bears acquired Thuney from the Kansas City Chiefs and gave him a two-year, $35 million extension.
The trio is learning from one another daily, Dalman said.
“They’re awesome. Two super knowledgeable O-linemen. Great players, great guys,” Dalman told Clocker Sports on Monday. “Just using their eyes and their knowledge to see the whole picture and get all that communication happening is incredibly helpful from a center perspective, and then just good for the offense as a whole.”
Williams absorbed a league-high 68 sacks in 2024, and Dalman and his fellow IOL are a vital part of the Bears’ puzzle.
To that end, Dalman said he and Williams are still building their chemistry, but it is coming along well. Dalman also said that he has not noticed any issues for Williams as the QB works under center more this training camp.