- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,193,655
- Reaction score
- 59
Chicago Bears 2026 mandatory minicamp officially came to a close on Thursday with the third and final practice taking place up at Halas Hall. The Bears held a light practice to close things out, incorporating fun elements such as linemen routes, as well as keeping things normal with two-minute drills.
Head coach Ben Johnson met with the media for a third day in a row and expressed how pleased he was with the team's progress during this period. Quarterback Caleb Williams also discussed his goals going into a pivotal Year 3 in the NFL.
Here are our takeaways from the final day of minicamp before the Bears break for the summer:
This time last year, the concerns coming out of Halas Hall during offseason workouts and minicamp centered around the unevenness of the offense with Johnson and Williams. The offense couldn't break the huddle correctly, presnap penalties were out of control, and Williams didn't even know if his new head coach liked him. They've come a long way since then.
Johnson and Williams both spoke about each other during their respective media sessions on Thursday, and it seems they have never been more in lockstep with one another. "It goes back to my first conversations that I had with Caleb, and those were he wants to win here in Chicago, and he wants to win Super Bowls, and that is really his motivating factor," Johnson said via Nicholas Moreano. "He's been really clear and consistent with that message over the last year and half that I've gotten to know him, and so in order to do that, that's what we are pursuing." Johnson also let it be known how he feels about Williams' development in his offense. "I'm very happy with where he is at."
Williams shares that consistent message and says he's in the "finishing each other's sentences" phase of his relationship with the head coach. "He's obviously a lot more mature than me; he's older than me by many years, so he brings a lot of wisdom to me," he said. "His information, his knowledge, his wisdom, and things like that, it goes a long way. I'm 110% in on whatever he says." It's hard to remember a time when the Bears head coach and quarterback were this much in sync.
Even though Thursday's practice was considered a light day, Williams wasn't going to settle for anything less than perfect. The media in attendance noticed how vocal he was during a two-minute drill to keep the drive alive. Williams delivered a pass to wide receiver Luther Burden, who was called down short of the end zone. Burden thought he scored and decided to celebrate while the clock ticked. Williams wasn't having it and barked at the receiver to get back on the line so they could spike the ball.
Bear Report's Zack Pearson believes the play would have wound up being a touchdown in a real game, but Williams wasn't taking any chances. It was a nice reminder of the command Williams has in the huddle and how demonstrative he can be. Former quarterbacks sometimes didn't have that same energy and were even called out for it. Not Williams. With how comfortable he has become in Johnson's offense, his leadership is only growing by the day.
Don't look now, but Cairo Santos may be adding a bit of strength to his kicking game, which would be a nice surprise. Santos, one of the longest-tenured Bears players, is known for having a reliable and accurate leg, but only from so far away. Big booming kicks aren't exactly in his repertoire, but perhaps that could be changing.
Santos nailed a 60-yard field goal in practice and also connected from 58 yards, per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.The veteran kicker was a perfect 6-for-6 in field goal tries outdoors, according to Biggs. That's good news for Santos, who isn't in real danger of losing his job but would benefit greatly from becoming more consistent beyond 50 yards (he went 4-of-6 in 2025).
It's always a treat to see the Bears run some "out of the box" drills during practice. Last week, we saw the offensive and defensive linemen attempt field goals. This week, they were running routes. For the second straight year, the Bears got their offensive linemen involved in route running during minicamp.
At first glance, it may seem like just a fun exercise to break up the monotony of practice. But consider the fact that multiple linemen ran routes last year in games, and maybe it looks more purposeful than people initially think. Johnson loves to get everyone involved in the offense, and drills like these are proof of that. So while some fun videos will come out of Darnell Wright and Theo Benedet climbing the ladder to make a catch, there's a real possibility this leads to a unique play that the defense won't be able to stop sometime in the fall.
Perhaps the biggest takeaway from this week has to be the fact no Bears player suffered any major injury. A few players exited with minor injuries earlier in the week, such as linebacker D'Marco Jackson, while others like Kyler Gordon and Neville Gallimore weren't on the field at all throughout minicamp.
Gordon's injury remains the biggest frustration considering how much time he missed last year, but at least no new major injuries occurred. In fact, some of the Bears players recovering from their own serious injuries showed promise during minicamp. Defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo appears to be ahead of schedule while rehabbing from his torn Achilles he suffered last November. The same goes for linebacker TJ Edwards, who got some work in while rehabbing from a fractured fibula. Overall, the Bears are going into the summer fairly healthy, and that's always a good thing.
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: 5 takeaways from Bears final day of minicamp practice
Continue reading...
Head coach Ben Johnson met with the media for a third day in a row and expressed how pleased he was with the team's progress during this period. Quarterback Caleb Williams also discussed his goals going into a pivotal Year 3 in the NFL.
Here are our takeaways from the final day of minicamp before the Bears break for the summer:
1. Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson are in total lockstep
This time last year, the concerns coming out of Halas Hall during offseason workouts and minicamp centered around the unevenness of the offense with Johnson and Williams. The offense couldn't break the huddle correctly, presnap penalties were out of control, and Williams didn't even know if his new head coach liked him. They've come a long way since then.
Johnson and Williams both spoke about each other during their respective media sessions on Thursday, and it seems they have never been more in lockstep with one another. "It goes back to my first conversations that I had with Caleb, and those were he wants to win here in Chicago, and he wants to win Super Bowls, and that is really his motivating factor," Johnson said via Nicholas Moreano. "He's been really clear and consistent with that message over the last year and half that I've gotten to know him, and so in order to do that, that's what we are pursuing." Johnson also let it be known how he feels about Williams' development in his offense. "I'm very happy with where he is at."
Williams shares that consistent message and says he's in the "finishing each other's sentences" phase of his relationship with the head coach. "He's obviously a lot more mature than me; he's older than me by many years, so he brings a lot of wisdom to me," he said. "His information, his knowledge, his wisdom, and things like that, it goes a long way. I'm 110% in on whatever he says." It's hard to remember a time when the Bears head coach and quarterback were this much in sync.
2. Caleb Williams' leadership was on full display
Even though Thursday's practice was considered a light day, Williams wasn't going to settle for anything less than perfect. The media in attendance noticed how vocal he was during a two-minute drill to keep the drive alive. Williams delivered a pass to wide receiver Luther Burden, who was called down short of the end zone. Burden thought he scored and decided to celebrate while the clock ticked. Williams wasn't having it and barked at the receiver to get back on the line so they could spike the ball.
Bear Report's Zack Pearson believes the play would have wound up being a touchdown in a real game, but Williams wasn't taking any chances. It was a nice reminder of the command Williams has in the huddle and how demonstrative he can be. Former quarterbacks sometimes didn't have that same energy and were even called out for it. Not Williams. With how comfortable he has become in Johnson's offense, his leadership is only growing by the day.
3. Cairo Santos showed off some leg
Don't look now, but Cairo Santos may be adding a bit of strength to his kicking game, which would be a nice surprise. Santos, one of the longest-tenured Bears players, is known for having a reliable and accurate leg, but only from so far away. Big booming kicks aren't exactly in his repertoire, but perhaps that could be changing.
Santos nailed a 60-yard field goal in practice and also connected from 58 yards, per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.The veteran kicker was a perfect 6-for-6 in field goal tries outdoors, according to Biggs. That's good news for Santos, who isn't in real danger of losing his job but would benefit greatly from becoming more consistent beyond 50 yards (he went 4-of-6 in 2025).
4. Ben Johnson loves to get the linemen involved in the offense
It's always a treat to see the Bears run some "out of the box" drills during practice. Last week, we saw the offensive and defensive linemen attempt field goals. This week, they were running routes. For the second straight year, the Bears got their offensive linemen involved in route running during minicamp.
At first glance, it may seem like just a fun exercise to break up the monotony of practice. But consider the fact that multiple linemen ran routes last year in games, and maybe it looks more purposeful than people initially think. Johnson loves to get everyone involved in the offense, and drills like these are proof of that. So while some fun videos will come out of Darnell Wright and Theo Benedet climbing the ladder to make a catch, there's a real possibility this leads to a unique play that the defense won't be able to stop sometime in the fall.
5. The Bears escaped minicamp with no new major injuries
Perhaps the biggest takeaway from this week has to be the fact no Bears player suffered any major injury. A few players exited with minor injuries earlier in the week, such as linebacker D'Marco Jackson, while others like Kyler Gordon and Neville Gallimore weren't on the field at all throughout minicamp.
Gordon's injury remains the biggest frustration considering how much time he missed last year, but at least no new major injuries occurred. In fact, some of the Bears players recovering from their own serious injuries showed promise during minicamp. Defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo appears to be ahead of schedule while rehabbing from his torn Achilles he suffered last November. The same goes for linebacker TJ Edwards, who got some work in while rehabbing from a fractured fibula. Overall, the Bears are going into the summer fairly healthy, and that's always a good thing.
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: 5 takeaways from Bears final day of minicamp practice
Continue reading...
