Bears coordinators Dennis Allen (defense), Press Taylor (offense) and Richard Hightower (special teams) spoke to the media Thursday at Halas Hall. Here are five things we learned from those sessions:
(1) Taylor praised veteran center Garrett Bradbury for how quickly he assimilated to his role after being acquired by the Bears in an offseason trade.
After Drew Dalman's retirement, Bears general manager Ryan Poles quickly filled the void by dealing a 2027 fifth-round pick to the Patriots in exchange for Bradbury. The 6-3, 300-pounder arrives having made 105 NFL starts for the Vikings (2019-24) and Patriots (2025), helping New England reach the Super Bowl last year.
"Garrett has earned a lot of trust coming in here, and the way he's commanded the huddle, the way he's commanded the line of scrimmage, our communication aspect, the way he does things, he's very loud, very vocal, very confident, but also very intelligent," Taylor said. "He does a very good job of really how we want to do it."
Taylor has especially been impressed with the input that Bradbury has provided during walk-throughs when he speaks with coach Ben Johnson, quarterback Caleb Williams and line coach Dan Roushar about making adjustments at the line of scrimmage based on what the defense is showing.
"There's a lot of conversation that goes on," Taylor said. "And so he's earned a lot of trust and a lot of respect from a lot of the guys, the coaches and players as well, with what he's done the last six, seven months that we've had him."
(2) Taylor explained why the backfield tandem of D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai make the running game so potent.
Last season, the Bears were the NFL's only team to have two players both rush for at least 750 yards in Swift (1,087) and Monangai (783).
"Maybe you set the defense up a little bit," Taylor said. "We're running the same schemes with it, but maybe one guy gets to the spot a little bit quicker, one guy's looking to cut up a little bit more, one guy's going to make you miss at the second level, one guy's going to run you over. There are certain things where now a linebacker has to be aware of which back is in the game.
"We tend to not change schemes based on backs. You've had some [duos] that [are] 'thunder and lightning:' this guy runs inside, this guy runs outside. [But] every back we put in the game, we're going to run the same schemes with, so as a linebacker, I don't know how aware you are of who's in the game, but now all of a sudden, this guy comes out of the first level and it's a different presentation. This guy can run away from me, this guy's going to lower his shoulder on me. That just kind of wears on 'backers over the course of the game."
(3) A handful of rookies could be on the field on defense in Sunday's season opener against the Panthers in DBs Dillon Thieneman and Malik Muhammad II and linemen Jordan van den Berg and Jayden Loving. But Allen is not concerned that the moment will be too big for them.
"These guys have all played in big games," Allen said. "And I think as much as anything, it's a football game. Go out there and do what you've been doing your whole entire life. Let's not make it any bigger than it is. I get it. The speed of the game on opening week in the NFL, it's different. And then it ratchets up another notch when you get to the playoffs. So, it's a real thing, and yet these guys have all played in big games and big stadiums and loud environments, home, on the road, all those kinds of things. So, just go out there and play football."
After playing 41 games the past three seasons at Texas, Muhammad showed promise in training camp and the preseason while lining up at cornerback and nickel back. The Bears targeted the 6-foot, 182-pounder in the fourth round of the draft due to his 4.42 speed in the 40 and his length.
"We liked his coverage ability," Allen said. "I saw a smart, instinctive player that had good speed and good coverage ability. Anytime you get a rookie in here, you really want to throw a lot at him and see what they can handle. And he's been able to handle a pretty good amount."
(4) The Bears asked cornerback Tyrique Stevenson Sr. to perform with more consistency, and the 2023 second-round pick has accomplished that goal.
"He's done a really good job," Allen said. "I think he's been motivated to try to be at his best and I've seen that on a more consistent basis, and so I'm excited to watch him go out and play. He's a really talented player, and when that focus and concentration is there, he's pretty good."
(5) Hightower is expecting the Panthers to test rookie long snapper Beau Gardner — and is equally confident that he will respond well.
Gardner signed with the Bears as an undrafted free agent from Georgia after winning the 2025 Patrick Mannelly Award as college football's best long snapper. The honor is named after former Bears long snapper Patrick Mannelly, who played the most seasons (16) and games (245) in franchise history.
"We know they're going to try to test Beau," Hightower said. "But Beau has got to step up to the challenge and do what he's been doing in practice, and it'll be good for him. This is what we always wanted in life. If I'm him, this is what I've always wanted, so here's my opportunity to shine."
Gardner's counterpart, J.J. Jansen, is entering his 18th season with the Panthers. Gardner was eight years old when Jansen was traded to Carolina in 2008.
"It's hard to unseat long snappers," Hightower said. "It's a very, very hard position. It's often overlooked. But it's a very hard position to play because there are a lot of intricacies that go into it that people don't really know until something goes bad. It's kind of like when you get on an airplane. You get on an airplane, and [when] the plane takes off on time, it's all good. You never say anything. When the plane is late, you're on the tarmac, you're like, 'What's going on?' Same thing with snapping. And Jansen has done it at a high level for a long time there, and Beau can learn a lot from looking at him."
