Bears coordinators Dennis Allen (defense), Declan Doyle (offense) and Richard Hightower (special teams) spoke to the media Friday at Halas Hall. Here are five takeaways from those sessions:

(1) Allen is excited about the potential return of linebacker T.J. Edwards and defensive back Kyler Gordon Monday when the Bears visit the Commanders.

Edwards missed the last two games and three of four contests so far this season with a hamstring injury but was a full participant in Friday's practice. The seventh-year pro led the Bears in tackles in 2023 and was second in 2024.

"T.J. is a smart, tough player," Allen said. "He's been very productive here. Where we've been on defense, when you have a lot of moving parts, it makes it a little bit challenging. So hopefully we can get guys back, stay healthy and develop a little continuity in the group."

Gordon's return would also provide a huge boost. The 2022 second-round pick has missed the first four games with a hamstring injury. He was limited in Friday's workout but told reporters earlier this week that he intends to play Monday night.

Last season Gordon appeared in 15 games and recorded 75 tackles, four tackles-for-loss, five pass breakups, three fumble recoveries and one forced fumble.

"I said this when I first got there, that I was really excited about working with that player," Allen said. "He's an impact-type player, in particular inside in the slot, some different things we can do with him from a coverage aspect. He's a dynamic player, so hopefully we will have him back out there and he can impact the game. Now, how much? I don't know what that answer is. He hasn't played a lot of football since, really, December of last year. Hopefully, when we have him and when he's out there, he can impact the game like we think he can."

(2) Allen is hopeful that another player who is seemingly on the cusp of returning, defensive end Austin Booker, will bolster the pass rush.

The 2024 fifth-round pick led the NFL with 4.0 sacks in the preseason but hurt his knee Aug. 17 in an exhibition game against the Bills. After missing the first four regular season games, he was designated to return from injured reserve Tuesday, beginning a 21-day window to put him back on the active roster.

Booker, who practiced without limitations Friday, has shown pass rush ability.

"He demonstrated that in training camp," Allen said. "He demonstrated it in preseason games. He demonstrated it in joint practices. Now we've just got to get him to a healthy enough spot where he can get out there and play games, and then we'll be able to see what he can do. I've seen signs that say he can impact the game, in particular from a pass rush standpoint."

(3) Doyle was not surprised that Caleb Williams engineered a late game-winning drive in the Bears' last game, a 25-24 win over the Raiders Sept. 28.

Trailing 24-19 with 6:45 to play, the offense took over at its own 31. Williams proceeded to complete 4 of 5 passes for 42 yards and rush for 19 yards on two carries to set up D'Andre Swift's 2-yard touchdown run with 1:34 to play.

"That's the stuff that has shown up really from the beginning here," Doyle said. "His competitiveness in crunch time, it kind of takes over. That's what makes him, him. That's why he was in the position to be drafted where he was. That's something that we love to see come out and we just want to continue to put him in positions where he can go show that off."

Williams has improved across the board this season. In the first four games, he has five more TD passes and 140 more yards passing, two fewer interceptions and nine fewer sacks taken than he did in the first four contests last year.

Asked about Williams' most significant areas of growth, Doyle said: "There are a couple things. His footwork, one. Two, his processing post-snap and pre-snap. Those are two separate things, with the communication pre-snap and post-snap really is his eyes and his feet. Those are the areas he's progressed in training camp and in these four weeks and he's got to continue to get better at that as we go, and I think he would tell you the same thing."

(4) Doyle has been impressed with the development of offensive lineman Theo Benedet.

The first-year pro showed his versatility against the Raiders, starting at right tackle before moving to left tackle in the second quarter when rookie second-round pick Ozzy Trapilo was inserted into the game at right tackle.

"Really the whole time we've been here—OTAs and training camp—[Benedet] has done a good job in the position meeting room," Doyle said. "You've just kind of seen him grow. [Coaches] Kyle [DeVan] and Dan [Roushar] have done a great job of training our guys, cross-training him, putting him in different positions. The versatility there, I really like about him. And the way he's able to move, he's a player that's ascending and will continue to grow."

It's unclear where or if Benedet will play Monday night in Washington. Right tackle Darnell Wright was limited in practice Friday with an elbow injury that prevented him from playing against the Raiders.

Benedet battled for the starting left tackle job in training camp.

"He's competitive and it probably wasn't consistent enough at that point in time as far as what we were expecting from him, and even since then he's continued to progress and get better," Doyle said. "But it wasn't like he went out there and it [was] too big for him in any way. His mentality and how he approaches the game, it's been consistent since we've been here."

(5) The Bears will face a Commanders special teams unit that Hightower on Friday described as "a dream team."

It features veteran receiver/return specialist Deebo Samuel, who leads the NFL in kickoff returns with a 36.8-yard average.

"We're going against a dog with really good vision and a really good contact balance and that we have to swarm to tackle," said Hightower, who coached Samuel with the 49ers from 2019-21. "You've got to gang tackle him. It's not going to take one guy to get him down. It's going to take all 11 guys. They've got to get there."

Commanders rookie Jaylin Lane is seventh in the NFL in punt returns with a 14.8-yard average, including a 90-yard touchdown Sept. 21 against the Raiders.

"What I saw is really good blocking, a really dynamic player with the ball in his hands, and I saw a lot of space when the guy got the ball," Hightower said. "We've just got to do a great job."