The Chicago Bears were back at Halas Hall for their 12th practice of training camp on Tuesday, where they conducted a scrimmage before a scheduled off day on Wednesday.
Tuesday's practice was lacking in the intensity department, according to the media in attendance, but there were still some standout performances both on offense and defense. The offense got off to an impressive start in short yardage and goal-line periods, per Adam Hoge, and the running backs were the highlight. Quarterback Caleb Williams and the offense continue to look impressive -- although Williams wasn't his sharpest -- and tensions were flaring during special teams drills.
Let's recap Day 12 of Bears training camp:
Takeaways
- D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai shined: The Bears offense got off to a strong start during Tuesday's scrimmage, and it was due in large part to the production of the team's 1-2 punch at running back with D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai. Courtney Croninsaid that "further evidence of the Bears being 'right handed'" was "two chunk runs back to back by 4 and 25 went to the outside of Darnell Wright." According to Sean Hammond, Swift had a couple of nice runs, including one against the second-team defense where "he cut inside, then spun back outside and found space for a 62-yd touchdown." In fact, Chris Kwiecinski's biggest takeaway is that Swift "continues to shine." He praised the veteran for "big gains in the first two team periods, including a house call rush. If he stays healthy he could pace this offense." But Monangai also had his moments. Kwiecinski said Monangai is the "best goalie back on the team. He’s got great vision but reacts so well to moving blocks."
- Devin Bush had the play of the day: The addition of veteran linebacker Devin Bush could be big for the Bears defense, and he was certainly a standout during Tuesday's scrimmage. According to Eli Ong, Bush had the play of the day for the defense during Tuesday's scrimmage when he picked off backup quarterback Tyson Bagent. "Bagent wanted to go short and the RB kept running. Bush returned it from just outside the red zone all the way inside the opposite 20."
- T.J. Edwards stood out in return: It's been a rough injury day for the Bears with Coby Bryant sidelined for the next four to six months after knee surgery. But there are good things happening on the injury side, especially as linebacker T.J. Edwards participated to team drills for the first time since returning from the non-football injury list. According to Adam Hoge, Edwards "had his most intense practice and looked good." Mark Carman added that Edwards "seems healthy" and was a standout with a tackle for loss. Bush also made a play on quarterback Caleb Williams when he tracked him down on a run to the left in the red zone, per Nicholas Moreano, who noted that "his speed stands out."
- Position battle and depth chart updates: The Bears released their first unofficial depth chart of the preseason, and there were some interesting takeaways about several position battles. But preseason is only just starting, and these competitions are far away from being resolved. At left tackle, with Braxton Jones still sidelined, it was Jedrick Wills Jr. and Kiran Amegadjie rotating with the first-team offense. Xavier Woods, who signed just a few days ago, was once again working at safety opposite rookie Dillon Thieneman with the starting defense. Meanwhile, at nickel cornerback, it was rookie Malik Muhammad working with the first team with Cam Lewis and Jaylon Jones still sidelined. -- Alyssa Barbieri
Studs
- RB D'Andre Swift: D'Andre Swift appears to be in midseason form. The veteran running back is stringing together strong practices with another coming on Tuesday. According to WGN's Eli Ong, Swift took a pitch for a 38-yard touchdown while breaking multiple tackles in the process. Bear Report's Zack Pearsoncalled Swift's runs "explosive" early on during practice and noted one of his broken tackles came against rookie safety Dillon Thieneman. It seems Swift was the offensive star of the day and hopefully this translates to a strong start to the regular season.
- LB T.J. Edwards: At long last, linebacker T.J. Edwards is back in team drills. Edwards had a long offseason rehabbing his fractured fibula and dealing with another injury prior to training camp. He officially returned to practice last week but had only been doing individual workouts. Tuesday was his first taste of 11-on-11s and he made his presence known. CHGO's Adam Jahns observed Edwards making a big stop on running back Roschon Johnson for a tackle for loss. It's a good sign for Edwards as he works to regain his early 2025 form while competing for a starting spot alongside D'Marco Jackson.
- S Skyler Thomas: Skyler Thomas was bound to stand out at some point during camp. The undrafted rookie safety out of Oregon State has been thrust into the spotlight following injuries to the Bears' secondary and came away with his first interception. The Chicago Tribune's Phillip Thompson saw Thomas get an interception off backup quarterback Tyson Bagent, which came near the end of practice. Thomas had seen some time with the first-team defense and should get extended playing time this weekend in Chicago's first preseason game against the Cleveland Browns. -- Brendan Sugrue
Injury updates
Cam Lewis was spotted stretching and participating in individual
drills, according to Courtney Cronin, but he went inside before the first "move the ball" drill. It's a good sign after word that Coby Bryant will miss four to six months after knee surgery and as the injuries pile up in the secondary. But the Bears didn't escape Tuesday's practice without another casualty. Linebacker Tony Fields II exited practice with an apparent injury, according to Sean Hammond, and he took the cart back to the facility from the far field.
Cornerback Tyrique Stevenson wasn't spotted during the final team period. Here's who didn't practice, per Mason Williams: cornerbacks Terell Smith and Jaylon Jones, safety Coby Bryant, linebacker D'Marco Jackson, left tackle Braxton Jones, guard Luke Newman, receiver Zavion Thomas and defensive end Montez Sweat.
Highlights
1️⃣8️⃣ getting warmed up! pic.twitter.com/HzRyuWXHT0
— CHGO Bears (@CHGO_Bears) August 11, 2026
The UDFA Connection🧨
— CHGO Bears (@CHGO_Bears) August 11, 2026
Tyson Bagent to Jahdae Walker in warmups pic.twitter.com/rNxiZVuqvB
Press conferences (Ben Johnson, Caleb Williams, Garrett Bradbury)
What's next
The Bears have a scheduled off day on Wednesday before returning to the practice field on Thursday at 12:45 p.m. CT for an open practice. Stay tuned for updates here on Bears Wire.
Follow Bears Wire on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Recapping Day 12 of Chicago Bears training camp
