The Chicago Bears took on the Tennessee Titans during a joint practice in Nashville on Thursday ahead of Saturday night's preseason finale.
The Bears participated in a roughly two-hour practice with the Titans, which featured some standout moments from quarterback Caleb Williams and his array of weapons, who had Tennessee's number for the first half of practice. While the Titans tightened up in the second half, it was still an overall solid showing. Meanwhile, Chicago's defense was shorthanded with cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson exiting with injuries, and it showed as Cam Ward had an impressive second half for Tennessee.
Let's recap the Bears-Titans joint practice:
Takeaways
- Caleb Williams came out firing: Bears quarterback Caleb Williams has said he enjoys playing in cold weather, but it seemed like he didn't mind the heat so much either on Thursday. Starting out in practice, Williams was dialed in. According to CHGO's Adam Hoge, he completed 9-for-11 passes with six straight completions. Hoge notes the two incompletions were a throwaway and a drop, with the targets being spread out to eight receivers. Meanwhile, NFL on Fox's Ben Arthur said Williams made special plays out on the field, highlighting his completion on a layered throw to Rome Odunze. And Blaine Kellar of Main Street Nashville clocked Williams at just three incompletions during the entire first half of practice. Whoever you ask, it's clear Williams had a strong first half of practice before the Titans began generating pressure and forcing Williams to make poorer throws as the practice concluded.
- Colston Loveland turned some heads: It's always fun to see what other teams' beat reporters think of the players you cover on a day-to-day basis. Sure, we all know Colston Loveland is a monster and seems poised for a breakout season in Year 2, and seeing other media members describe him only confirms those thoughts. Loveland was having his way with the Titans' defense, making big plays and bouncing off would-be tacklers. Parker Kelley of 102.5 The Game said Loveland "looks legit" during practice, while A to Z Sports Nashville called him "big, tall, fast, and very good." It's another indication that Loveland is going to be a problem for defenses this year. We're going to see a lot of national media members say the same things the more they see of him.
- The Bears' tight ends were on full display: While Loveland drew the attention of the Titans' media, the Bears' offense made sure to feature all of the tight ends on Thursday. Johnson drew up a nifty trick play at the goal line with Williams faking a run to Roschon Johnson and an end-around to Kalif Raymond before lofting a perfect pass to Kmet in the back of the end zone. Sam Roush, meanwhile, caught a deep ball before making a leaping touchdown from Case Keenum in 11-on-11 drills on the same drive. While Stephen Carlson and Qadir Ismail made plays as well, the top three players at the position will be counted on heavily this year, and we got a dose of what that might look like.
- Braxton Jones has fallen off: There was one particular play that stood out for all the wrong reasons on Thursday, which was captured by X user Ball Noir. At first, the play simply looks like an escape from Williams before he gets rid of the ball, but the major concern is the rep by Braxton Jones, who gets completely obliterated by defensive end Jermaine Johnson to flush the quarterback to his right. Jones gets blown up so badly, he falls into guard Joe Thuney, who could have been hurt by the friendly fire. Jones' play seems to be getting worse and worse the longer camp goes on. He struggled against the Bengals just five days ago and hasn't taken hold of the starting left tackle job since coming back from his injury suffered a few weeks ago. Jones was never superb against the bull rush, but he was far better than what he showed on Thursday in the past. Maybe those days are officially over.
- Xavier Woods turned things up a notch too high: We know the Bears tend to be the more physical team in these joint practices during the Ben Johnson going back to last training camp, but there's still a line between physical and unnecessary. It appears Xavier Woods crossed that line on Thursday. Woods, who played for the Titans last year, laid a big hit on wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson that drew a flag and caused a scuffle between the two teams. Titans coach Robert Saleh said Robinson was being evaluated for a concussion and called the hit "cheap" while guard Peter Skoronksi said it was unacceptable. Woods doesn't have a reputation as a dirty player or anything, and the weather conditions had both teams a little on edge. Johnson wasn't available for comments after practice, but we can be sure he will keep his team playing with a physical tone while making sure it doesn't get out of hand. -- Brendan Sugrue
Studs
- QB Caleb Williams: While the offense was certainly better in the first half of practice, quarterback Caleb Williams certainly made a strong impression. According to Adam Hoge, Williams got off to a hot start, where he had six straight completions and was 9-for-11 with his incompletions being a throwaway and a drop. "Ball being spread around. Eight different receivers have caught a pass from Caleb." He also threw two touchdowns during that red zone period. Titans reporter Ben Arthur had high praise for Williams. "Caleb Williams has made some special plays. Hit Rome Odunze beautifully in stride out of an RPO. Later stepped up in the pocket and hit Cole Kmet on a nifty shuffle pass. Also completed a dart into a tight window outside the numbers." After practice, Titans head coach Robert Saleh praised Williams as a modern-day Russell Wilson.
- Bears tight ends: Simply put, the Bears tight ends all had a day against the Titans defense, which is encouraging for Chicago and scary for the rest of the NFL. Colston Loveland, Cole Kmet and Sam Roush all had standout moments. There was endless praise about Loveland from Titans reporters. Parker Kelley: "Colston Loveland looks legit man." AtoZ Sports Nashville: "Colston Loveland is big, tall, fast, and very good." Kmet was on the receiving end of a trick play, where D'Andre Swift pitched it back to Caleb Williams who then found an open Kmet downfield. Roush was making plays all practice, per Nicholas Moreano, catching a deep ball from quarterback Case Keenum during 11-on-11 and a few plays later catching a back shoulder pass in the left side of the end zone from Keenum, which had the offense excited. AtoZ Sports Nashville said it best: "Bears TEs have been the most effective way for Chicago today."
- RB D'Andre Swift: Before Thursday's practice, Ben Johnson said this is the best he'd seen running back D'Andre Swift look at this point of the year. During the Titans joint practice, he once again was a standout. According to Ben Arthur, Swift gave the Titans defense some fits and noted that it was "tough for Tennessee to get a hand on at times." Swift also had a touchdown during a red zone drill. He also had a hand in a trick play, where he took the handoff, tossed it back to Caleb Williams, who then hit Cole Kmet. It's more of the same for Swift, who's been a training camp standout this summer and is poised for another sensational season under Johnson.
- DB Cam Lewis: It wasn't an overall great day for an injury-riddled Bears defense, especially with starting cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson exiting with injuries. But Cam Lewis did have an early standout play and notched an important takeaway. According to Steve Layman, Titans quarterback Cam Ward threw behind tight end Gunnar Helm and Lewis was there for the interception. -- Alyssa Barbieri
Injury updates
The Bears' defense has been ravaged by injuries all throughout
camp, and things didn't get any better on Thursday. Already missing defensive linemen Austin Booker and Gervon Dexter, the Bears' top two cornerbacks exited practice early with injuries. Jaylon Johnson suffered an arm injury, while Tyrique Stevenson dealt with a leg issue, which thankfully didn't keep him out long. And rookie Jordan van den Berg appeared to be cramping due to the extreme heat. With multiple starters still out for the foreseeable future, it's difficult to project how effective this defense will be early in the season. They need all hands on deck, yet players keep exiting early with ailments. Hopefully Stevenson, Johnson, and van den Berg are all back shortly. -- Brendan Sugrue
Press conferences (Ben Johnson, Caleb Williams, Grady Jarrett)
What's next
The Bears have an off day on Friday before their preseason finale against the Tennessee Titans on Saturday night with roster cuts slated for Sunday. Stay tuned for updates here on Bears Wire.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Recapping the Bears and Titans joint practice
