The Bears practiced without pads for the fourth straight day Saturday. With lightning in the area, they conducted the first six periods inside the Walter Payton Center before moving outside for team drills. Here's what transpired:
Special teams coordinator Richard Hightower told reporters before practice that he was eager to see how players handled the rainy conditions.
"I feel great about going out here for a few hours in a squall," Hightower said. "I am actually excited about it. I think our players are excited about it, too. Embrace the opportunity to go out in the wet and rainy weather. We've got 'wet ball Wednesday' on a Saturday, so we're fired up about that.
"You know why? Because we get to work ball security. The returners get to work that. We get to see it. The snappers can snap the ball in this type of weather. We get to see if we can kick in it, and we get to see who is ready to rock and roll no matter what the elements are, because as you know, we play in Soldier [Field] and everything is unpredictable. So, I am excited to see who is going to respond today."
Different feel to camp
Since being drafted by the Bears in 2020, tight end Cole Kmet hasn't experienced much continuity on offense. But that scenario has changed with coach Ben Johnson and quarterback Caleb Williams entering their second season together.
"It's great," Kmet said. "It's a different feel to camp than maybe in years past. I've spent a lot of my career wondering what's next and how tomorrow's going to go. I feel like I kind of know what to expect at this point, especially with this staff and what they want to get done, what they expect from each individual.
"So, it's nice coming in, getting ready for a season, understanding how you fit in the scheme of things and also the direction of this offense and where you want to go and the identity that we want to forge. It's been a good first four days for us. It's felt good coming in and being operationally pretty sound. Next week will be big for us with pads coming on. So that will be the next step."
Kmet's 30 receptions for 347 yards last season were his fewest in both categories since he had 28 catches for 243 yards as a rookie. But he's not going to complain about a lack of targets while still playing an integral role on a division championship team.
"I'd rather win, man," Kmet said. "It's miserable around here when you're not winning. I do know that when I do get the ball, it's great. But they put a heavy value here on the run game and pass pro, so that stuff doesn't concern me. I feel like if you do what they ask you to do here and you do it at a high level, you're not going to have much to worry about. So, that's kind of how I go about things."
Clear communication
Kmet feels that the offensive line has made a smooth transition with new center Garrett Bradbury, who was acquired in an offseason trade with New England following Drew Dalman's retirement. Bradbury joins the Bears after starting all 105 NFL games he's played with the Vikings (2019-24) and Patriots (2025).
"You don't know how it's going to go, especially when you lose somebody like Drew, who is kind of that captain of the offensive line communication-wise," Kmet said. "But with Garrett it really has been flawless so far. I know we haven't had the pads on from a physicality standpoint. But when you talk about the communication in the walkthroughs we've had, in practice, things have been really clear and concise."
Welcome back
Kmet is thrilled to see fellow 2020 second-round pick Jaylon Johnson healthy and back on the practice field. The two-time Pro Bowl cornerback had surgery to repair a core muscle injury last September. He returned to play the final six regular-season games and both playoff contests but was not 100%.
"I know last year was hard for him," said Kmet, who was selected seven picks ahead of Johnson. "I know he really wanted to be out there, and I'm sure at times he probably didn't feel like 100 percent. But he wanted to be part of the run, and he's a big, big piece of the defense, obviously.
"But since seeing him these first few days, he's made some great plays, and you can see his instincts and his movement skills are back to what they were a few years ago. He's an unbelievable player, unbelievable corner. It's been awesome to be with him since we've been drafted. I do joke that I still am the longest-tenured Bear by like 15 minutes. But that being said, Jaylon and I have been through a lot together, and no one's rooting for him more than I am this year. That's for sure."
On the mend
Johnson told reporters that he played through pain last season, adding that the difference between then and now is "night and day."
"I needed a full offseason to get my legs back under me, to get some scar tissue and things like that out," Johnson said. "Really just working and pushing my body, I feel really good. I feel good with my speed. I feel good with where I'm at laterally, change of direction and all of that. I've just got to keep stacking days. Really, it's just working on my technique and getting consistent and back to just being dominant."
Johnson spent much of the offseason "working on the mechanics of running again."
"With core and groin [issues], the knee lift is something I had to get back, he said. "In the beginning, doing a lot of speed work. I can definitely tell that's where I was really weak. Just attacking that early and really just getting back to myself, just training, lifting, sprinting, the usual stuff. Got into Pilates too. Pilates is one of the things I'm going to continue to do."
Plenty to prove
Johnson has zero concern that the defense will be complacent coming off a season in which the Bears won the NFC North title and beat the Packers in the playoffs.
"Outside of takeaways, we finished—if I'm not mistaken—bottom 10, bottom five in a lot of categories," Johnson said. "So for me, we haven't done a [darn] thing. There's a lot for us to prove on defense. Of course, the offense is rolling. But that's not something we can rely on: OK, the offense go put up 40, and we'll hold them to 35. To me, that's unacceptable. We've still got a lot to work on. We've still got a lot to do and to prove … If guys aren't hungry, I don't know what to say or what to do about that. We've got a lot of people that are motivated and we've got to go out there and play."
News and notes
New Bears safety Coby Bryant reached high to intercept a pass in Saturday's practice … Former NFL receiver Chad Ochocinco attended the workout … After an off day Sunday, the Bears will practice in pads for the first time Monday.
