The Bears held their 12th training camp practice Sunday at Halas Hall, a workout in full pads that was open to the public. Here's what transpired:

The defense performed well on a hot and humid day, highlighted by linebackerT.J. Edwards and cornerbackTerell Smith producing multiple impact plays.

Edwards likely would have recorded two sacks (if quarterbacks were allowed to be contacted) and dove to break up a pass over the middle. Smith registered two pass breakups of his own while in tight coverage.

The offense's best play came in a 7-on-7 drill when quarterback Caleb Williams connected with receiver DJ Moore down the right sideline for a touchdown. Williams followed on the next play by rifling a completion over the middle to rookie receiver Rome Odunze.

First impressions

Last Thursday night's Hall of Fame Game between the Bears and Texans was the first NFL contest to feature new kickoff rules that were adopted on a trial basis for the 2024 season. There were no dramatic developments, with the Bears averaging 24.8 yards on four returns and the Texans averaging 20.0 yards on three returns.

"I just took away that it happens really fast," said Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower. "I took away that angles are really important, body types are really important. Guys with length, guys like Collin Johnson, what a hell of a play he made for the first time being part of history."

A 6-6 receiver, Johnson tackled Steven Sims at the Texans' 26 following a 21-yard return on the game's opening kickoff. The fourth-year pro starred on offense, catching three passes for 56 yards, including TD receptions of 20 and nine yards.

At one point, Hightower tried to take Johnson off special teams so he could focus on offense. But Johnson insisted on doing both, knowing that his best chance to earn a roster spot is likely by contributing on special teams.

"It just says about the man that he's hungry and he's aware," Hightower said. "He knows that he needs to be in there. Really it was his time to come out of the game, but he really didn't want to come out. So, we took him off of a couple phases and kept him on one. But just like the attitude and effort and energy that he played with [that] we're looking for."

Noteworthy omission

Jaylon Johnson was named second-team All-Pro and voted to his first Pro Bowl last season. But the Bears cornerback somehow was left off the NFL's top 100 players list.

Johnson was clearly upset with the slight—especially because NFL players vote for the list—and told reporters that it would motivate him moving forward.

"It's disrespectful," Johnson said. "It's disrespectful because I go out there, line up and I know receivers go out there and can't say that I'm not one of the best players that they play against … Ain't no way there are 100 guys who are better, especially guys who didn't play, [or] who were hurt."

Only one Hester

With the new rules implemented to increase the number of kickoff returns, Hightower was asked if that meant more return specialists would have a chance to join Devin Hester in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

"I will double down on what I said before: God only made one Devin Hester," Hightower said. "I don't know if we'll ever see another guy like that. But returners are definitely going to have an opportunity."

Hightower enjoyed the trip the Bears took to the Hall of Fame Wednesday night, when they bused to Canton after landing in Cleveland. Hester greeted and addressed the group, shook hands and posed for photos. The former Bears superstar was inducted into the Hall of Fame Saturday.

"Seeing Devin talk to our guys and seeing how our guys lit up when he spoke, we're just all really happy for him," Hightower said. "Seeing our players going around and looking at the different busts, you could just tell they were like kids in a candy store. That was really cool. We're so happy for all our guys that went to the Hall of Fame."

Running back D'Andre Swift's first trip to the Hall of Fame was a memorable one.

"It was real cool," Swift said. "Great experience to be a part of [meeting] Devin Hester, introducing myself to him, that type of thing. It was a blessing to be there."

Owning the field

Rookie Tory Taylor did not punt in the Hall of Fame Game, but the fourth-round pick from Iowa was busy in Saturday's practice at Halas Hall.

"Out of, I don't know, it was 40 or so punts, he had zero touchbacks, and we were working the plus-50 area," Hightower said. "I'm really proud of him for coming out [Saturday] and doing that. And he's just growing. He's growing right before our eyes, and I just can't wait to see him play."

Hightower is especially impressed with Taylor's competitive fire.

"One thing is clearly evident with Tory Taylor is he doesn't give a damn about anything but winning," Hightower said. "And that's how I think, so that's why I really love this kid. And he wants to work on his craft every day, so he could put the team in a position to own the field. That's how he thinks.

"He's like, 'I'm owning the field. This is my field when I'm out here and I'm going to pin them for my defense.' That's the kind of mentality punter I want. That's a go-getter. That's what I want. And when he makes a mistake, he is the first one to say, 'I made a mistake,' and, 'What can I do to fix it?' He runs toward criticism. He doesn't run away from it."

Scary thought

Taylor was asked what type of strategy he would employ against Hester.

"I either would've kicked it miles high in the air or kicked it out of bounds," said the rookie. "Scary. It's just absolutely frightening to know someone like that was returning punts.

"I'd probably just kick a 40-yard punt out of bounds because you see a lot of clips of Hester, and a lot of the time, they're actually pretty good balls, and he turns nothing into something, which is pretty special, and I guess that's why he got the gold jacket."

Not a fan of nickname

Coach Matt Eberflus has doled out nicknames to several players, but Taylor has yet to receive one, as far as he knows. When a reporter asked the Australian native what he thought about "The Crocodile Punter," Taylor was not impressed.

"I definitely don't want that one," he said. "How original. I don't want any like Australian attachments or anything like that. In fact, if no one knows who I am, that usually means I'm doing a pretty good job."

Roster Moves

The Bears on Sunday re-signed long-snapper Cameron Lyons, two days after they had waived him, and waived receiver Peter LeBlanc.