The Chicago Bears? conducted one of their lighter practices of training camp on Wednesday, splitting the team into two groups.
One group went through more of a walkthrough in preparation for the Hall of Fame Game against the Houston Texans on the first Thursday night game of the 2024 (pre)season. The other group conducted a relatively normal training camp practice, albeit still a light one.
For that reason, there were not very many takeaways from the session.
Afterward was a bit of a different story with DJ Moore following Defensive Coordinator Eric Washington and speaking to reporters in the wake of his $110 million contract extension.
Bears Training Camp Notes: Teammates ?Berserk? After DJ Moore?s Contract Extension
Bears Locker Room Hyped After DJ Moore?s Contract Extension
Moore said that he had some ?inkling? that he could land a contract extension this season. He still had two years left on his three-year, $61.9 million rookie extension signed with the Carolina Panthers in 2022.
He said he was not concerned with being the highest-paid receiver, noting that he wanted a ?good number? and was more focused on the guaranteed money ($82 million). Asked about the impact on the locker room, Moore spoke of the reaction his teammates had.
?Oh my gosh! Yesterday if you ask anybody that was probably the turntest locker room I ever been a part of,? Moore told Clocker Sports after Wednesday?s practice. ?It was going berserk when everybody got back to their phone and seeing what happened. They was wondering why I left walkthroughs last night and they figured it out as soon as they got back. It’s pretty cool.?
Pressed to describe the scene, Moore declined, but he did say ?champagne showers,? before walking off the podium. The entire exchange underscored the comfort the security of his extension provides.
DJ Moore?s ?Aw S***? Moment
Moore?s reaction is key because there was a point in time when Moore?s reaction to being traded from the Panthers was, ?Aw s***.?
He initially said he people would not want to know his reason. However, Moore said he had just moved into a new house at the time and that it was not about the team. He said he quickly changed his mindset,
A phone call from an upbeat Ryan Poles, Bears general manager, aided that shift.
Poles has been aggressive in locking up the players in recent months. Moore joins a list that includes tight end Cole Kmet, defensive end Montez Sweat, and cornerback Jaylon Johnson.
The Bears have also made a slew of free agent signings over the 2023 and 2024 offseasons.
Moore also said he hopes what he has done and the players the team added will change the narrative that Chicago is where receivers come to die.
That is what ex-Bear Muhsin Muhamad once claimed to Sports Illustrated?s Peter King).
Moore said he has been actively trying to help Keenan Allen get extended too, prodding his teammate for a dollar amount. Allen is in the final year of a four-year, $80.1 million pact.
Gervon Dexter Sr., Zacch Pickens Big Bodies in the Middle
If there was anything that stood out about Wednesday?s practice, it was the sound of passes being batted down at the line of scrimmage. Veteran Andrew Billings was one of several veteran non-participants in Wednesday?s practices.
That left plenty of reps for Zacch Pickens to line up alongside Gervon Dexter Sr. with the training camp-style practice group.
The results were the batted passes at the line, with another coming via reserve Byron Cowart.
?That’s a great thing to see because the way offenses are prioritizing in protecting the quarterback, one of the ways you can do that is get the ball out of his hand in a hurry. And so depending on the nature of our coverage, if we’re in a looser coverage, it is critical that our defensive linemen collapse a pocket, recognize that, and provide an obstruction for the quarterback.
?I was really excited to see that today, and they’ve been doing it since camp has started and that really protects our secondary.?
Dexter (6-foot-6) and Pickens (6-foot-4) are taller tackles, especially for the penetrating style of defense the Bears run up front. It is an added element to the threat the Bears? defense can present when it goes into nickel and other sub packages.
Bears? DNP List Grows on 10th Training Camp Practice
The list of players who did not participate in the full practice grew with some notable names added. Among them were Billings and Montez Sweat. Starting right guard Nate Davis remained sidelined, as did nickelback Kyler Gordon. Right tackle Darnell Wright appeared to be the only player not in attendance.
A veteran day off made sense at this juncture.
With no starters playing in the Hall of Fame Game, an additional day?s rest means they can come back and get right into the grind. There are still 20 days left of camp.
This list could very well grow before the regular season opener versus the Tennessee Titans on September 8. The same goes for the Houston Texans and their Week 1 versus the Indianapolis Colts. Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said he spoke with Texans HC Demeco Ryans.
Neither team?s starters will play in the game, which is superfluous under the current format.
Former Bears Make Headlines
Several former Bears players made news in recent days. The most recent, Byron Pringle, spent the 2022 season with the Bears, catching 10 passes for 135 yards and two touchdowns. He spent 2023 with the Washington Commanders and re-signed with the organization on July 31.
Rasheem Green spent the 2023 season with the Bears, recording 2.0 sacks in his 17 games played.
The former Seattle Seahawk signed a one-year deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars on July 30.
Former Bears draft pick and cornerback Duke Shelley returned for a second stint with the Minnesota Vikings, signing on July 23 amid a slew of injuries and the death of rookie draft pick Khyree Jackson.
A hamstring issue derailed ex-Bear Tarik Cohen?s first comeback attempt from the devastating knee injury he suffered with the Bears while on the Carolina Panthers practice squad in 2023.
The Panthers cut Cohen during the 2024 offseason and he landed with the New York Jets in May.