The Bears conducted their 15th training camp practice Wednesday at Halas Hall, working out in shells for about an hour before heading to Cincinnati. Here's what transpired:

The highlight of practice was a 7-on-7 red-zone drill. Quarterback Caleb Williams threw touchdown passes on the first three plays, hitting tight end Colston Loveland before connecting twice with receiver Rome Odunze. After a short completion to running back Roschon Johnson, Loveland was unable to come down with what would have been a circus catch in the left corner of the end zone.

Quarterback Case Keenum followed by connecting on 4 of 5 passes, all short of the end zone to receiver Zavion Thomas, running back Salvon Ahmed, tight end Hayden Large and receiver JP Richardson. Quarterback Miller Moss closed the drill by hitting receiver Omari Kelly in the left corner of the end zone for a TD.

Litmus test

Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen is eager to see how his players fare in Thursday's joint practice in Cincinnati against an explosive Bengals offense that features quarterback Joe Burrow and receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins.

"It's going to be a heck of a test for us," Allen said. "They've got a really good offense. MVP-caliber quarterback. MVP-caliber wide receiver. Tee Higgins is a heck of a player. [Chase] Brown's a [heck] of a running back. [Mike] Gesicki at the tight end position. They've got a lot of weapons and a lot of things that they can do on offense. All five of their offensive linemen are returning. So, it'll be a great test for us, and I'm just looking for us to go out there and compete and see where we stack up against what I think is probably going to be one of the better offenses in our league."

Asked what aspect of the defense he's most interested in evaluating in Cincinnati, Allen said: "I think our ability to line up and cover elite receivers in our league and see where we're at in terms of being able to do that. We play some talented receiving corps in our own division. So, this will be a great test for us, an opportunity for us to step up and … [it] gives us a chance to evaluate where we're at as a defense, what we can do well, what we need to potentially look to as we get into game planning thoughts, how we're going to be as a defense and how we're going to scheme."

Fighting discouraged

Allen is not worried about the Bears-Bengals joint practice devolving into a brawl-fest like some other workouts have around the league. On Wednesday, a donnybrook between the Cowboys and Saints featured six separate fights.

"It's not a lot different from what we do here," Allen said. "We've had a lot of physical practices and yet it's maintained relative order for the most part, and that's the same thing we want to do when we go down to Cincinnati. We want to go and we want to compete and have good, productive, physical practices … Nobody gets better when we're wallowing around fighting, so let's compete, let's practice and let's play physical between the whistles, and then when the play's over, let's move on to the next one so we can be productive. I think [head coaches] Ben [Johnson] and Zac [Taylor] are on the same page in terms of what's expected and that's been clearly communicated to the players."

Turning heads

The joint practice and Saturday night's preseason game against the Bengals will give defensive end Jamree Kromah two more opportunities to impress. The first-year pro has had a strong training camp and excelled in last Saturday's 34-10 preseason-opening win over the Browns, registering six tackles, 2.0 sacks, three tackles-for-loss, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

"He's really taken to the coaching the way that we are trying to teach, which is a little bit different than what we were doing last year," Allen said. "We are trying to be a little more attacking and a little bit more aggressive. Attack the line of scrimmage a little bit more, and so there's some key coaching points in being able to do that.

"He's one of the guys who has really just stuck with it. He's really tried to focus on doing those things exactly how we are coaching it, him along with a few others. When you see it and they see the results of when you do it exactly right, you have success, and therefore, success breeds success.

"I've been really impressed with what I've seen. Hopefully, throughout the course of these joint practices, we will get a little more of a look at him, maybe even working with the ones and see as you start to increase the level of competition, 'What does it look like? Does it look the same?' Excited to see that."

Familiar face

Allen is well-acquainted with veteran defensive end Marcus Davenport, who signed with the Bears on Monday. In Davenport's first five NFL seasons in New Orleans, Allen was Saints defensive coordinator from 2018-21 and head coach in 2022.

"He's always been a disruptive player," Allen said. "You can put on a lot of tape and see him in the backfield creating a lot of disruption. Everybody talks about the production. There's a lot of hidden production in that he creates a lot of opportunities for other people. He understands the mentality and the mindset of how you know we want to play defense. And I think he's a good fit."

After playing in at least 11 games in each of his five seasons with the Saints, Davenport has been limited by injuries to four contests with the Vikings in 2023 and two and eight games with the Lions, respectively, in 2024 and '25.

"Obviously the biggest thing for Marcus, and it's been that way throughout his career," Allen said, "it's his ability to be healthy and maintain his health. But when he's out there, he's a disruptive force."