The Bears conducted their final training camp practice Wednesday, a padded session that was open to the media. Here's everything that transpired throughout the day at Halas Hall:
DJ Moore stood out in Wednesday's practice both as a receiver and running back.
During an 11-on-11 team period, quarterback Caleb Williams connected with Moore, who came flying out of the backfield before sprinting down the right sideline and into the end zone for a touchdown.
At the end of practice, the Bears practiced a one-play fourth down situation where Williams and Moore showcased their connection again. Facing a blitz, Williams completed a pass to Moore for the first-down conversion to conclude the workout.
All-Pro praise
When 10th-year pro Joe Thuney met with reporters Wednesday, he spoke highly of how Williams has operated in camp both with the offensive linemen and as an individual.
"Caleb's done a great job taking everything in stride," Thuney said. "For a younger player, someone who doesn't have the amount of repetitions my other quarterbacks have had, he's done a great job of working his tail off before work starts, and he stays after. Great to see that and his dedication to [the] game [and the] playbook."
Thuney said Williams "works tirelessly" and has repeatedly shown he is a leader for the offense as the unit works to master coach Ben Johnson's scheme.
Thuney believes Williams' communication with the offensive line has improved since they first started working together in the spring.
"Early on, way back in the spring, we're all just trying to learn (the playbook)," Thuney said. "He's done a great job of really mastering the language, the calls, everything. There are always things that we want to talk about. As an offensive line, with the quarterback, there are always things that we want to hash out; how we see this, what we think about that. That's just football. It's been great to learn with him and see how he sees the game and everything. I've been really happy."
Having played with two Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks in his career — Tom Brady in New England and Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City — Thuney has brought a wealth of knowledge to the entire locker room.
While he prefers to stay in his lane when it comes to advising Williams, Thuney is committed to helping the quarterback grow in any way he can.
"I try to be a resource for whatever, really. We'll talk about the times I've had in the league and who I've played with, things like that. I just try to stay in my lane and do the best job that I can at O-line. It's great, the back-and-forth. We're growing together, growing into this offense. I'll do whatever I can to help him, or the O-line, or anything, really."
Special teams updates
After the Bears trimmed their roster to 53 Tuesday and signed 15 players to the practice squad Wednesday, special teams coordinator Richard Hightower discussed the roster cuts with the media.
"First of all, just wanted to say, I really appreciate all the guys that spent time with us in the offseason, all the hard work and sacrifice that they put in," Hightower said. "Particularly, this is a tough time in the business for everyone. As a ST coordinator, you know, I deal with the whole roster. So, in the last 24 hours, a lot of tough conversations that have to happen. However, we are excited about the season to get going."
Hightower also spoke about a pair of defensive ends – Daniel Hardy and Austin Booker – who have become valuable presences on special teams.
Hardy has earned Hightower's trusted in a simple way.
"Make plays," Hightower said. "All you gotta do is make plays. When you make plays, you earn more and more trust. We talk about building up money in the emotional bank account. So the more plays you make, the more money you've got in our emotional bank account. The less plays you make, you don't have any money in it. Everybody likes money in their bank account, right? There you go."
While Booker is dealing with an injury right now, Hightower believes the second-year pro will be an asset moving forward.
"[Booker] is a good player," Hightower said. "Really good rush ability that we like. I don't see any reason why he couldn't do what he does and what he's been doing, so he's helped us in many ways on special teams, not just on kickoff. He's helped on punt return. He was in on that blocked kick that Hardy had against Tennessee (in Week 1 last year). So y'all stay tuned because you've just gotta see when he's out there."
Punter Tory Taylor has continued to be a bright spot for Hightower's group. The Iowa product has built on his impressive rookie campaign during training camp and the preseason.
"Really good camp," Hightower said. "Hit the ball really well, finished the Kansas City game strong. He is coming into his own, I think, hitting his stride for the season, and that's what we want. He's done a nice job. He works his tail off. He cares about it."
Dexter's third-year growth
Defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr. has noticed a different level of maturity in his on-field play heading into Year 3. While Dexter put in plenty of work during the offseason to improve, he credits defensive line coach Jeremy Garrett for helping him reach new heights.
"One thing I would highlight; it is a funny story," Dexter shared, "my coach, coach JG, he asked me one time when we first got here, 'G, what are you looking at when you are getting off the ball or what are you looking at when you are ready to strike?' And I told him some dumb answer, I told him like, 'I'm looking at the hips or ankles of the offensive lineman.' He looked at me funny. He was like, 'just key the tip of the pad.' And that's been more than helpful to me so far. It's been perfect."
Throughout training camp, Dexter has continued to work with Garrett on his movement at the start of the snap, which he feels has paid dividends.
"He noticed that obviously my eyes weren't in the right place, and I think one of the things that he told me was the start of the play," Dexter said. "That's the stance, getting down, and getting ready to play is probably the biggest thing. If you don't have a good stance, you probably won't have a good get off, and nine times out of 10, you won't have a good play."
Along with Garrett, Dexter has also learned from defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, who the Florida product has been following for years.
"He practices what he preaches," Dexter said. "He's out there, he's aggressive. He has the energy. That's the way he coaches us up in the meeting room and outside. So, you pretty much have no choice but to match his energy."
