Recapping Day 7 of Chicago Bears training camp

· Yahoo Sports

The Chicago Bears were back at Halas Hall for their seventh practice of training camp on Wednesday, where they conducted a non-padded practice after two intense padded sessions.

Overall, the 90-minute practice had a walkthrough feel, according to the media, following Tuesday's intense session that featured live periods. But the pads are set to come back on tomorrow ahead of a rest day Friday. Still, there were a couple notable observations from Wednesday, including quarterback Caleb Williams bouncing back with a strong 7-on-7 session, including an unlikely connection that made the catch of the day (or even training camp). There was also more clarity on the left tackle battle, and Chicago welcomed back a key defender.

Visit somethingsdifferent.biz for more information.

Let's recap Day 7 of Bears training camp:

Takeaways

  • Lighter practice before the pads come back on: After back-to-back days in pads, including an incredibly physical and intense Tuesday session that featured several live periods, the Bears were in shells on Wednesday ahead of Thursday's padded practice. It only last 90 minutes compared to yesterday's two-hour session. According to Brad Biggs, there was a heavy red zone focus and there was "almost a walk-thru pace to much of the action." Courtney Cronin noted that "the few team periods they did were all half-speed." Biggs also added that "there weren't a lot of plays run at any speed to evaluate," noting it was a "lighter day that will be sandwiched between more intense practices."
  • Caleb Williams was sharp: Following a rough padded practice on Tuesday, quarterback Caleb Williams and the offense bounced back during a light, non-padded session. Williams was incredibly sharp during 7-on-7 work, where he completed 9-of-10 passes, according to Courtney Cronin. But it was receiver Kaden Davis who made the best catch of the day with a one-handed, laid out grab, per Chris Kwiecinski. Once again, the connection between Williams and tight end Colston Loveland was on display, as Brad Biggs noted Williams found Loveland "on some out routes in the red zone a few times" during 7-on-7.
  • Braxton Jones worked with first team for third straight practice: The starting left tackle job certainly looks like it's Braxton Jones' to lose. Jones worked with the first-team offense for the third consecutive practice, according to Chris Emma, where he's gotten the largest share of snaps at left tackle. "He’s gotten the chance to re-establish himself back at full health and seems to be making the right impression," wrote Emma. It certainly sounds like Jones is proving himself to the coaching staff as offensive coordinator Press Taylor raved about him before Wednesday's practice. "I think Braxton has done what we've expected in terms of being physical and the communication."
  • T.J. Edwards returned to practice: The Bears were hit with rough injury news this week with safety Coby Bryant suffering a hyperextended knee that's expected to sideline him 8-10 weeks. But there was finally some good news on Wednesday when linebacker T.J. Edwards was removed from the non-football injury list, and he made his training camp debut during Day 7's light workout. Edwards only participated in warmups as he ramps up from his calf injury, but he was "moving well," according to Devan Kaney. It was good news for Chicago to get a key piece of their defense back just a couple days after losing another. -- Alyssa Barbieri

Studs

  • QB Caleb Williams: The offense took a step back the last couple of days following a strong start to camp. They needed to pick things back up and get back on track. It seems quarterback Caleb Williams got the message loud and clear. Williams was locked in during practice, particularly during 7-on-7s when he didn't miss a pass. He threw touchdowns to Kyle Monangai, Colston Loveland, Kaden Davis, and Luther Burden, according to Bear Report. In fact, Williams missed just one pass during those drills. The offense needed a boost, and Williams led the way.
  • RB Kyle Monangai: After missing the first few practices of camp, running back Kyle Monangai returned to action on Monday, and it didn't take long to reintegrate him into the offense. And while it's his running ability that the Bears are excited about, Monangai is still able to make plays in the passing game. During 7-on-7 drills, Williams found Monangai for a touchdown to end the drive, according to Bear Report's Zack Pearson. It's encouraging to see Monangai getting involved as a receiver, even if the practice was only in shells.
  • WR Kaden Davis: No player had a better day on Wednesday than wide receiver Kaden Davis. The veteran pass catcher made what some are calling the play of training camp when he made a diving one-handed grab in the corner of the end zone from a pass by Williams, as noted by Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. Davis has stood out a couple times early on and is shaping up to be someone worth watching when the preseason games get underway. -- Brendan Sugrue

Injury updates

The Bears have veteran rest days to left guard Joe Thuney and defensive tackle Grady Jarrett ahead of Thursday's padded session. With Thuney sidelined, it was Luke Newman working at left guard with the first-team offense, per Chris Emma. Safety Coby Bryant didn't participate in practice as he deals with his hyperextended knee, bone bruise and small fracture that's expected to delay his Bears debut until at earliest Week 3. Other players who weren't spotted at practice, according to Brad Biggs: cornerback Terell Smith, cornerback KC Eziomume and guard Jordan McFadden.

The players previously announced on the non-football injury and physically unable to perform lists were sidelined: cornerback Kyler Gordon, offensive tackle Ozzy Trapilo, safety Elijah Hicks, linebackers Keyshaun Elliott and Noah Sewell and defensive end Shemar Turner.

Highlights

Press conferences (Press Taylor, Darnell Wright, Dillon Thieneman, Kyle Monangai, Dayo Odeyingbo)

What's next

The Bears return to the practice field on Thursday morning at 8:30 a.m. CT for their third padded practice, which is open to the public, before a rest day on Friday. 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 7 of Chicago Bears training camp

Read full story at source