The Chicago Bears are three-quarters of the way through their second week of training camp practice. Bears rookie first-round draft pick Colston Loveland has been on the field after missing that portion of the offseason program, and Caleb Williams has taken advantage.
Loveland underwent shoulder surgery in January. He was forced to wear the red non-contact jersey when he was on the field during the offseason program.
Now that he is full-go, Williams (or the other Bears QBs) has looked his way fairly often.
Bears QB Caleb Williams Praises Rookie TE Colston Loveland
Caleb Williams Trusting Colston Loveland in Bears Training Camp
Loveland, who spoke to the media on Tuesday and said being back on the field is a “blessing,” remained active in the classroom during his rehab.
That has likely contributed to his building a rapport with his QBs quickly.
“He’s been great. He’s a smart cat. We’ve hung out a few times. We actually – just him and a couple other teammates, we went down to the city on our off day and had dinner and things like that. So, we’re hanging out, building that bond, building that trust,” Williams told Clocker Sports on Wednesday. “On the field-wise, like I said, he’s smart. He knows what he’s doing. He’s a young cat, so there’s going to be a few mistakes and things like that, and, maybe, hand placement. But when the ball goes up and things like that, I got all faith in him.”
The Bears selected Loveland with the No. 10 overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, adding him to a room that already included veteran Cole Kmet, who only turned 26 years old himself in March of this year.
Bears head coach Ben Johnson spoke about expecting Loveland to show up big in key moments as he did for the Michigan Wolverines, winning a national championship in 2023.
Loveland is likely bolstering Johnson’s belief, and with some help from Williams.
“The other day, I actually threw a ball down the middle to him, and the ball kind of slipped out my hand. [It] was a little sweaty, and I kind of raised up [to look down the field] because I knew the ball was slipping from my hand after. And he went up and grabbed it and came down with it. It was a big catch, and things like that provide trust, faith, and belief that whenever that ball goes up in the air, it’s his,” Williams said.
“Other than that, it’s just building a connection, routes, and things like that. Kind of figuring out how he moves and other things like that so when we get out there on the field on Sundays, Thursdays, and Mondays, and things like that, we’re out there rolling.”
Bears CB2 Job Wide Open
The Bears have had former Dallas Cowboys draft pick Nahshon Wright filling in for Jaylon Johnson, who is sidelined with an undisclosed leg injury, per general manager Ryan Poles.
However, Wednesday revealed a plot twist in the secondary.
Third-year corner Tyrique Stevenson has found himself in a battle for the other starting spot opposite Johnson, with the recently minted Kyler Gordon manning the nickelback role when defensive coordinator Dennis Allen is not moving him around, including to safety.
Newcomers Nick McCloud and Shaun Wade got reps with members of the first-team defense, which also pushed third-year man Terell Smith to the sideline.
Stevenson, 25, was a second-round pick in the 2025 draft.
He has started 30 of 32 games played in his career, and Wednesday was the first day there was any question about whether his spot was in jeopardy. Notably, Stevenson was at the heart of the Bears’ collapse against the Washington Commanders that spiraled their campaign last season.
Bears secondary coach Al Harris told Clocker Sports in the spring that Stevenson had a clean slate. The former Miami Hurricane was expected to face a challenge from Smith again, but this is noteworthy.
Smith was a fifth-rounder in the same draft class as Stevenson.
He started two games in Stevenson’s place in 2024. However, he appears to have lost some ground due to his absence during the offseason program. Smith has six starts in 26 career games. His getting passed on the depth chart would be less surprising than Stevenson’s.
McCloud went undrafted as a rookie. He broke through with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2021.
He spent two-plus years with the New York Giants and split 2024 with the San Francisco 49ers.
Wade joined the Bears this offseason, too. Originally a fifth-rounder by the Baltimore Ravens in 2021, he has only ever played in the regular season for the New England Patriots. He has six starts in 20 career games compared to 14 starts and 48 total appearances for McCloud.
Round Up
Left tackle Braxton Jones had his second planned rest day on a shorter practice by the Bears. They presumably did the same with right guard Jonah Jackson, who was absent but not updated Wednesday. Jones is in a position battle with rookie second-round pick Ozzy Trapilo and 2024 third-rounder Kiran Amegadjie, though.
Rookie seventh-round running back Kyle Monangai is spending more time with the 1s during team periods.
Fellow 2024 draftee Luther Burden III caught a touchdown from Williams in team red zone drills.
The Bears don pads for practice on Thursday. They have a day off on Friday, with a practice on Saturday and Family Fest on Sunday at Soldier Field. Their first preseason game, at home against the Miami Dolphins, is on August 10, so crunch time is rapidly approaching.