The Bears held their second of 10 OTA practices Wednesday at Halas Hall. Here are four things we learned from speaking to players after the session:
(1) First-round draft pick Leonard Floyd, an outside linebacker from Georgia, has impressed veteran teammates with his speed and athleticism.
First-round draft pick Leonard Floyd has impressed veteran teammates with his speed and athleticism.
"He's quick, fast and instinctive," said inside linebacker Danny Trevathan. "That's what you want out here. He's kind of a natural athlete. [When he] gets out here and learns the plays a little bit more and once we put on pads we can really see what's going on. Right now we see how quick he is and how agile he is."
The Bears traded up two spots in the draft to select Floyd with the ninth overall pick.
"[He's] big and fast," said guard Kyle Long. "He's very long. He's got really good hips and leverage. Being back inside, I haven't had an opportunity to go against him. But you see it on tape. He flashes some really, really good stuff. He can run all over the field. He covers anything with a heartbeat and he can rush the passer, so that's a dynamic guy."
(2) Players on offense have enjoyed working with first-year coordinator Dowell Loggains, who was promoted from quarterbacks coach to replace Adam Gase.
"He does a great job of relating to everybody," Long said. "Also his confidence, he's got a bit of swagger. It emanates through the building and there's a trickle-down effect there. You can see it in our meetings and you'll start to see it translate in practice."
It wasn't difficult to find Loggains throughout the practice because he could often be heard yelling encouragement or instructions to his players.
"He's not quiet at all, and that's a good thing," said running back Jeremy Langford. "You want to hear your OC out there and interact with the players and let us know what we're doing right and doing wrong.
"You can tell he knows football a lot. He's a smart guy. He does a great job of letting us know what we've got to do and making everything simple for us."
(3) After missing all of his rookie season last year with a leg injury, receiver Kevin White is practicing without restrictions and isn't looking in the rearview mirror.
"Everything is full go," said White, the seventh overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. "So I try to put as much energy as I can into it and run as fast as I can in practice so I can look at the film, study it and work on it the next day.
"I don't even think about [the injury]. Move on. Play the game. Still try to stay on top of it in the treatment room a little bit. But I'm back to normal, 100 percent. I'm really not focused on the leg too much."
Missing his entire first season was difficult for White, who estimates that he wasn't fully healthy until around March.
"There were rough days," he said. "I knew I would get back to that point; it was just a matter of time when. But as far as getting back to 100 percent, a couple months ago. I'm not sure exactly when, but I feel good now. That's all I'm worried about moving forward."
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(4)** After some key dropped passes last season, Langford is working on becoming a better receiver in his second season with the Bears.
"I think I let it slip through my hands a lot," Langford said. "This year, I came in the offseason and worked out on my routes and worked on catching the ball and making those hard catches. That's what we're going to need to win some games."
While gaining more separation is key, Langford realizes that it's not always possible.
"You're not going to be too wide open all the time," he said. "Making those traffic catches, those 50/50 balls, you've got to come down with it, those 5-yard catches on third-and-five."
