Bears OTAs: Players to watch out for during Chicago’s second week of practice sessions after what we learned last week
The Chicago Bears are back on the field this week for the second round of organized team activities starting on Tuesday, here are the top players to watch out on the field.
After hitting the practice field for the first three days of organized team activities last week, the Chicago Bears will be back in action for three more days of OTA sessions this week starting on Tuesday.
The first week was an encouraging look at the entire 90-man roster in action, especially on the offensive side of the ball when comparing the unit’s operation to how it looked this time last year.
Defensively, we still have some questions to answer going into this week. Which leads us into some of our top players during the second week of OTA sessions.
Chicago Bears players to watch out for during second week of OTAs
Will Dillon Thieneman continue working with the second-team defense?
The Bears made a slight surprise last week when Elijah Hicks trotted out with the first-team defense alongside Coby Bryant at safety instead of first-round pick Dillon Thieneman.
Ahead of Thursday’s practice, head coach Ben Johnson noted that would be the case, so it was so much of a surprise once the reporters arrived on the practice field. It’s likely that the Bears are simply making the rookie earn his stripes, so to speak, before just throwing him right into the starting defense.
We’ll see if that remains the case this week or if the Bears start rotating Thieneman in to start building that rapport with Bryant and the other defensive starters.
Kyler Gordon isn’t the only defender to watch when it comes to participation
Kyler Gordon’s latest soft tissue injury was major news going into OTAs and some of the worry lessened when Gordon was spotted out on the field during Wednesday’s practice. On Thursday, Gordon was with the team during warmups but did not take part in team drills such as 7-on-7 and 11-on-11. Hopefully we get some kind of update on his status.
The attendance of rookie defenders Malik Muhammad and Keyshaun Elliott will be something to watch as well. Both players were present at rookie minicamp but were not seen practicing during Thursday’s session with media in attendance. It’s unclear whether their absence was injury related or personal.
Another name to watch for is Montez Sweat. The team’s highest-paid player was not present for the first week of OTAs (voluntary practice) despite the lack of depth available at the position. Will we see Sweat show up this week or will he wait to return until mandatory minicamp starts next week?
Is Garrett Bradbury leading the charge at center or will the Bears start mixing in Logan Jones?
The battle at center was one of the top storylines to watch at OTAs between veteran Garrett Bradbury and second-round rookie Logan Jones. Based on the first week of practice and Johnson’s comments with the media, Bradbury is clearly leading the charge.
“A guy like Garrett Bradbury, impressed day one, just with the level of communication that he brings to the table,” Johnson said. “He’s loud. He’s demonstrative. I know that he’s going to be able to get all five guys on the same page.”
Back at rookie minicamp, Johnson noted it’s up to Jones to potentially beat out the veteran for the starting job. We’ll see if Johnson starts rotating Jones in as well to get some trust building with quarterback Caleb Williams and the first-team offense.
“Time will tell,” Johnson said of Jones. “The ball’s in his court as far as I’m concerned. He understands that, just like everyone else, we’re looking to create competition. Consistency, day after day and building trust – not only with Caleb and the other quarterbacks but within that offensive line room and then obviously with the coaching staff. It’s just a matter of time to build trust.”