The Chicago Bears practice schedule took a fun turn when the team headed up to Vernon Hills in the northwest suburbs to conduct practice at the local high school. Just over 5,000 fans turned out for the event, anxious to see the continued progress their team is making towards what will hopefully be its first non-losing season in half a decade.
Things seem to be heading in the right direction. They lost the Hall of Fame game to Baltimore and the second preseason game to Cincinnati. Then they delivered a hard-fought victory in Denver. Now there’s an air of optimism around the team as they get a chance to play at Soldier Field for the first time this year.
A good week of practice would set them on the right path. All things considered, they got what they wanted. The team got through drills without many hiccups and didn’t seem to encounter any significant injuries. The fans got to go home happy with that in mind. So what exactly did they see.
Here’s a report on some of the things that happened.
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Mitch Trubisky was sharp most of the afternoon
While not in full pads, the Bears starting quarterback still could’ve had an off night. Instead he was on target most of practice. He delivered some impressive passes too including a couple pinpoint drops in the bucket to Allen Robinson and Marlon Brown against tight coverage near the sideline. One was caught and the other was dropped.
He was also proficient in the red zone, connecting on a number of scoring plays. The one critique of the afternoon was his deep passes had a bad tendency to come up underthrown. Something he’ll need to keep working on as his knowledge and experience grows.
Roquan Smith was limited in practice
A day after the news hit that the Bears 1st round pick had tweaked his hamstring, there was a fear he’d miss time. Thankfully Roquan Smith was back on the practice field Wednesday, though in a limited fashion. Odds are the Bears will be cautious with him moving forward.
Matt Nagy confirmed after practice that it’s likely he won’t play in the preseason game against Kansas City. This also could mean Nick Kwiatkoski may be the starter next to Danny Trevathan in the opener against Green Bay. While it’s a minor setback, Smith simply doesn’t have enough time to overtake him before the regular season.
Allen Robinson is starting to flash more and more
Anthony Miller was his usual self and Taylor Gabriel was also back at practice. Yet the most standout player of drills was big free agent addition Allen Robinson. He made some really nice catches on the evening and was in sync with Trubisky from start to finish. One particular play that stood out came when he got matched up on a linebacker in the red zone. He easily won off the snap and was wide open towards the corner of the end zone for a touchdown. That is where he’s most dangerous. A definite good sign.
Here is a nice pass from Mitch Trubisky to Allen Robinson. Doran Grant was in coverage. #Bears pic.twitter.com/ub6qbwjHAv
— Da Bears Brothers (@DaBearsBros) August 22, 2018
Doran Grant was around the ball a lot
The competition at cornerback continues to grow in fascination by the day. Marcus Cooper and Bryce Callahan did not practice. That opened the door for some younger players to shine. Undrafted free agent Michael Joseph had a nice toe-tapping interception in the red zone but the man of the day was Doran Grant.
He was excellent in coverage most of the day. During one-on-ones, he stayed tight with both Robinson and Kevin White, not giving Trubisky much space to throw. He then delivered a pretty interception during goal line drills, cutting in front of a receiver as the ball was thrown. He almost had another not long after that. The kid continues to push for a spot on this team.
Eric Kush is good but James Daniels is better
Coaches are who they are. They always tend to favor veteran players because veterans know they’re business. They tend to be more consistent and reliable. However, there comes a time when talent must be allowed to win out. Eric Kush is a decent player. He could start for some other teams in the league as a guard.
The problem is he’s standing in the way of somebody better. Drills once again proved that as rookie James Daniels was rock solid, giving little ground in team or individual blocking drills. At one point he even stonewalled John Jenkins who is 330 lbs one on one. How much longer before the Bears bow to the inevitable?
The defensive line just might be able to bail out the edge rush
Leonard Floyd was seen on the sidelines wearing a cast on his right hand, having just had surgery to repair two broken fingers. Aaron Lynch remains out with his hamstring problem. The edge rush situation is a mess for the Bears. The same is not true for their defensive line. Not only is it talented but it’s also proving to be deep.
Akiem Hicks did not practice but is expected to be full go for the opener in Green Bay. Eddie Goldman remains strong in the middle. Now Roy Robertson-Harris is emerging as a playmaker at defensive end. In addition, they have Jonathan Bullard and surging rookie Bilal Nichols making noise as well. This is a fascinating group of big men with a ton of upside still to explore.
