Chicago Bears cornerback Kyler Gordon missed the team?s fifth practice of training camp with what Head Coach Matt Eberflus described only as ?tightness.? The Bears otherwise had continued to boast full attendance from every available player (rookie offensive lineman Kiran Amegadjie is still on the non-football injury list).
Those practicing included cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, safety Jonathan Owens, and tight end Gerald Everett, who all spoke with media members after the session.
Bears Training Camp Notes: Tyrique Stevenson?s Confidence Boost
Bears CB Tyrique Stevenson Aiming for ?Elite? Status
The Bears drafted Stevenson with the No. 56 overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft. He was the eighth cornerback selected. Stevenson?s 60.3% completion percentage allowed ranked seventh among all the 12 rookies to face at least 50 targets in 2023, per Stathead.
He led that group facing 116 targets. New York Giants corner Deonte Banks was second with 96 passes thrown in his coverage.
Stevenson also created splash plays, recording four interceptions to lead all rookies.
?It boosted [my confidence] a lot,? Stevenson told Clocker Sports after Thursday?s practice. ?It just made me feel like I belong here. Didn’t have that many in college, so just the fact that I came out, got four in one year just let me know that I could be one of the elite DBs in this league. And that’s what I’m aiming for.?
Stevenson recorded three interceptions in his four collegiate seasons split between Georgia and Miami. He did not force one turnover in the first 10 weeks of his rookie season.
Then, Stevenson logged four picks and two fumble recoveries in his six games played over the final seven weeks of the season (he missed the Week 12 win over the Minnesota Vikings with an ankle injury).
Stevenson lauded the unit?s continuity and his familiarity with the scheme and his teammates.
He also set goals for himself, saying he wanted even more interceptions (like teammate Kyler Gordon) and to earn an All-Pro selection (like Jaylon Johnson who wants First Team honors).
?I would say I’m aiming for All-Pro, more interceptions, more tackles, more PBUs [pass breakups],? Stevenson said. ?Just want to elevate my game all around pretty much, and I know I’m capable of it.?
Jonathan Owens Clears Air Over Upcoming Olympic Absence
Very few of the questions safety Jonathan Owens fielded pertained to football. Instead, Owens graciously answered questions about his superstar wife, Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles who is preparing to participate in the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.
Owens will be in attendance to support Biles, and he cleared the air in light of a report from the Washington Post about how long he would be away from the team while doing so.
?I get on the plane Monday ? next Monday, so the 29th,? Owens said after Tuesday?s practice. ?So I end up practicing, and then that evening I end up getting on the flight so. I know there was a thing going around I was going to be going for like seven practices. I was just kind of confused about that.
?I’ll end up coming back [August] 3, so I’ll be here. So really it’s only one practice ? like one real practice ? and the Hall of Fame game.
Owens said that the coaching staff would be recording everything for him to study while in Paris.
Owens figures to back up one if not starters Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker at safety. However, the former Green Bay Packer and Houston Texan started 28 of his 34 appearances over the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
He started all 17 games during the 2022 season while with the Texans. Byard has yet to miss a game due to injury in his career.
He does turn 31 years old in August and is entering his ninth NFL season.
Brisker has missed two games in each of his first two seasons. He has said he is looking to be more durable in 2024. But Owens is essentially a super sub who could help keep the wheels on the road if either Brisker or Byard goes down with an injury.
Gerald Everett?s Take on the Offense in Bears Training Camp
Tight end Gerald Everett returned to practice this week after opening training camp on the NFL list. Everett comes already having a rapport with wide receiver Keenan Allen.
But almost everything else is brand new. So what has Everett thought about it?
?It’s scary. It’s scary,? Everett said. ?Even today, we give the defense something to look at, something they probably weren’t ready for. But ? being interchangeable, even with DJ [Moore] and Keenan ? the guys in the receiver room. We’re going to want to play all the spots. So whether it be right direction or left direction, we’re all going to be flying up and down the field.?
Everett steps into the role the Bears hoped Robert Tonyan would fill in 2023 as the receiving complement to top tight end Cole Kmet.
Tonyan and former Bears QB Justin Fields never clicked on the field as envisioned.
The good news is that the positive reviews for new Bears starter Caleb Williams continue to pour in from anyone who is asked. Williams commended Williams? poise and pocket presence, something he noted that can be taught but said that the rookie has it naturally.
Inconsistent Day for Bears’ Offense in Training Camp
Williams? natural ability was less glaringly obvious on Thursday, with the entire offense putting forth a choppy effort rift with pre-snap penalties and missed connections.
Defensive end Montez Sweat got close enough to Williams to record a strip sack. Williams has otherwise done a nice job of getting rid of the ball in a timely manner, but Sweat was also in the backfield quickly.
The Bears are still mixing and matching pieces on both sides of the ball.
Being beholden to performances so far would be foolhardy. That goes for the good days and the bad.
The encouraging thing is that days like Thursday have been the exception and not the rule to this point. That could all change starting with Friday?s practice session, which begins the next phase of training camp.
Players Ready for Pads
There has not been a lot of chippiness on the practice field aside from some extra pushing and shoving through the whistle. These are, after all, teammates who want to make it to game day. There are also rules in place that limit how much contact they can have.
However, everyone has said they are ready to put the pads on, especially the offensive and defensive linemen.
Friday?s practice will be their first session.
Eberflus said they will follow a similar ramp-up pattern with padded practices as they have to this point. They have five more practices before they face the Texans in the Hall of Fame game on August 1.