The Chicago Bears? 12th practice of 2024 training camp included more players joining the list of walking wounded.
There were also mixed results during team sessions, most notably in 11-on-11s. However, the note from safety Kevin Byard after Saturday?s practice was that deciphering a good rep from a bad one is not as easy as watching the play. Still, three were surely more misses than anyone would have preferred.
A scuffle broke out, but no one asked gave it much thought. Tory Taylor, D?Andre Swift, and Jaylon Johnson spoke after Special Teams Coordinator Richard Hightower.
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Johnson spoke last, but he was by far the most forceful with his remarks, specifically when it came to not being on the NFL?s Top 100 List, a list voted on by his peers. Johnson called his absence ?bulls***? and ?disrespectful,? saying he knows there are not 100 players better.
He pointed to his Pro Bowl and (Second Team) All-Pro accolades from the 2023 season when he was told what the vote was based on.
Johnson was asked how he gauges good reps from bad during camp.
Teammate Kevin Byard spoke about judging reps and how plays in practice may not have the same outcome in a game situation, something he noted goes both ways for offense and defense. Johnson, who has said in no uncertain terms that he is looking for First Team All-Pro in 2024, said he is looking to win every rep.
?Everybody has their different ways of looking at it,? Johnson said, prefacing his stance. ?But that’s exactly how I look at it. If God catch a pass on me, that ain’t good enough. But again, I feel like there’s different ways people I feel like kind of move or measure things differently. Again, for me being a corner, that’s how I measure if I’m getting a lot of passes caught on me then that’s not okay for for me in my standard.
?I try to go as long as I can without giving up a pass, so I feel like that’s kind of how I do it. I can’t say how he challenges himself. Of course, everybody challenged themselves in different ways. And again too, I feel like mainly speaking to playing smart and being smart too. I feel like there’s times where you don’t want to go up against a bang-bang play if it’s one of our top guys.
?We all out here to compete. But ? we also got to get everybody to the dance.?
Tory Taylor Not ?The Crocodile Punter?
Big-legged rookie kicker Tory Taylor has been like a sideshow during training camp. Special teams has dedicated periods, but they do not always include live kicks.
When they do, though, Taylor?s booming punts often turn heads. So, naturally, the first question reporters asked him was whether Head Coach Matt Eberflus had given him a nickname as he has with many of the other players on the roster.
Taylor said no and immediately declined one name that has gained steam recently.
?I definitely don’t want [Crocodile Punter],? Taylor told reporters after Sunday?s practice. ?Yeah, I don’t want any Australian attachments or anything like that. In fact, if no one knows who I am, that usually means I’m doing a pretty good job.?
Much of Taylor?s story stateside has been about learning about the country and the game of football. But Hightower spoke about his drive to get better and the type of teammate he is.
Taylor spoke candidly about being nervous at times when punting.
He then lightened the mood by comparing kicks/punts and returns to coming across a snake: both sides are generally scared (nervous in the case of football players.)
Taylor did not punt in the Hall of Fame Game, instead entering the field of play only to hold for a kickoff. He said that he was anxious to get out on the field and ?loves? to punt. But he also noted that is not always the best decision to do it every day and sitting was indeed the coaches? call.
Of note, Taylor said he is comfortable kicking off but has not done it dating back to Iowa.
D?Andre Swift Cites RB Coaches Chad Morton, Jennifer King
Tight end Cole Kmet said that the Bears? running game was coming along well even if it was hard to tell in training camp without live tackling. Swift echoed those thoughts and was also asked about the chemistry in the running back room.
He also gave a shoutout to Running Backs Coach Chad Morton and assistant Jennifer King.
?It’s tight. It’s close,? Swift told Clocker Sports. ?I was just talking to KB [Kevin Byard] about it, the way we work collectively. And then that starts with Chad. Chad does a great job ? and Jennifer as well does a great job ? of implementing the type of mentality that needs to be set, the standard that needs to be set here in that running back room.
?From me to Ian, it’s no drop-off as far as mentality and effort. And in practice, I take practice very, very serious. So I feel like you got to do it in practice to be able to do that on Sunday, Thursdays, and Mondays, and everybody really got the same mentality in there.?
The Bears had a tight-knit group in 2023, though one that also had a different hierarchy with Herbert at the top. Still, there was some frustration from former Bears running back D?Onta Foreman.
Swift?s addition pushes Herbert down the depth chart and into legitimate competition with 2023 fifth-round pick Roschon Johnson for carries. The Bears could very well lean on the running game with a rookie quarterback. That would go a long way to solving the question of who follows Swift in touches, an answer that may change depending on the opponent.
Regardless, they will have that same mentality ingrained in them.
Richard Hightower?s Coaches Notes
Hightower?s biggest takeaway from the new kickoffs? They happen quickly. He also noted how much everyone is still learning about the format. Hightower also acknowledged reserve wide receiver Collin Johnson?s contributions to the Bears? win in the Hall of Fame Game.
Johnson had three receptions for 56 yards and two touchdowns in the victory. He also recorded the first tackle under the new format. Quindell Johnson also received credit.
?The attitude and effort and the energy that he [Collin Johnson] played with is what we’re looking for,? Hightower told reporters on Sunday. ?Really, that’s what I live for; two things. One thing is winning championships, and the other thing is helping kids like Collin Johnson, Jack Sanborn, all those kids that start young, that’s what drives me as a coach and [Assistant Special Teams Coach Carlos] Polk as a coach, and all of the coaches that help on teams.
?We just want them to keep making plays.?
Hightower also had high praise for punter Corliss Waitman, who handled duties in the Hall of Fame Game finishing with a 44-yard average on three boots.
?He punted his tail off. He did a really nice job in that game and he had some really big-time punts,? Hightower said of the fifth-year man, Waitman. ?I’d be remiss if I didn’t say how well he played.?
What is less clear is whether Waitman or Taylor will punt versus the Buffalo Bills on August 10.
Injuries Piling Up for Bears in Training Camp
Bears players Andrew Billings, Darnell Wright Jacob Martin, Jaquan Brisker, Kyler Gordon, Montez Sweat, Noah Sewell, Theo Benedet, and Tyrique Stevenson remained sidelined and were joined by Nate Davis and Teven Jenkins.
Davis and Jenkins started practice with the team but left during the session.
It was Davis? first practice since July 27. He jogged over the practice field side-work area, so he is likely going through a ramp-up period.
Jenkins left with Head Trainer Andre Tucker and missed the rest of the practice session. It left rookie No. 1 pick Caleb Williams with a hodgepodge offensive line. The group included reserves Aviante Collins, Ja?Tyre Carter, and Matt Pryor at various points.
Left tackle Braxton Jones was the only player manning his normal spot in the final team drill.
The Bears have spoken about the injuries as an abundance of caution. They also have a day off on Monday they hope will aid in getting some of their injured players back.
Aside from Davis? (brief) return, Gordon and Sweat did activities that suggest they are trending toward returning. Gordon went through the opening walkthrough session and some position work before retiring to the sidelines.
Sweat ran the hill that lies next to two of the Bears? practice fields.