The Bears conducted a padded practice Tuesday at Halas Hall that was their last training camp workout open to the public. Here's what transpired:
Coach Matt Eberflus revealed Tuesday that the majority of Bears starters, including quarterback Caleb Williams, will not play in Thursday night's preseason finale against the Chiefs in Kansas City.
"We feel really good about our process, the plan that we've had in terms of the range of plays for certain players," Eberflus said. "The range of reps in terms of competitive reps, we feel really good about that. We had a joint practice [with the Bengals], one-on-ones the entire time. So we feel good about where we are there."
When training camp began, Eberflus estimated that Williams and the rest of the No. 1 units would play 45-55 snaps in the Bears' four preseason games. The rookie quarterback was on the field for 42 plays in back-to-back wins over the Bills and Bengals, completing 10 of 20 passes for 170 yards and a 79.2 passer rating.
In terms of which starters will play Thursday night, Eberflus said: "We'll look at some guys who have lower numbers and some of those guys, we'll have that discussion finalized later [Wednesday] morning, when we do our participation meeting."
Eberflus has been impressed with how Williams has operated the offense in preseason games, both in running and executing plays.
"Just the process of being able to get into the huddle, make the call, be clean, get to the line, look at the [play] clock and say, 'OK, this is a little bit low,' and move guys around fast enough to get the snap off," Eberflus said. "Have an awareness and then really do a good job of at the line of scrimmage, to be able to adjust to what the defense gives you and make your adjustments from there.
"I think it's been clean, and then post-snap I think he's been relatively good in terms of going through his progressions, making good decisions, taking care of the football in the pocket with two hands and moving around there when he does have to do that. But overall I thought [it was] a good preseason for him."
Second to none
Veteran receiver Keenan Allen starred in Tuesday's practice, catching a slew of passes from Williams all over the field in team drills.
The performance came a few hours after cornerback Tyrique Stevenson told reporters that he's never faced a receiver like Allen.
"It's the quick stops, the in-and-out of his breaks to create the small separation he gets on the route," Stevenson said. "If you play him too close, he's good enough to make that incredible catch. So you have to give him space to see which way he's going. If you sell on a route too hard, he can take it back the other way. And if you play him low, he's definitely taking it over the top … I feel like his ability to create separation when he needs it is second to none."
Allen was obtained by the Bears in a trade with the Chargers in March in exchange for a fourth-round draft pick. He spent his first 11 NFL seasons with the Chargers, catching 904 passes for 10,530 yards and 59 touchdowns.
Allen was voted to five straight Pro Bowls from 2017-21 and was chosen for a sixth last year when he led the NFL with a career-high and franchise-record 108 receptions for 1,243 yards and seven TDs despite missing the final four games with a heel injury.
"Even with DJ [Moore] last year, it was hard," Stevenson said. "But I felt like I was coming along. With Keenan, now it's like figuring out a whole new plan to stop somebody new. I see why he's given so many headaches to DBs in the past."
Rookie on the rise
Veteran defensive end Montez Sweat has been impressed with rookie defensive end Austin Booker, a fifth-round pick who played only 18 games in college at Minnesota (6 in 2022) and Kansas (12 in 2023).
"He's just a tremendous talent; really light years ahead of where a rookie should be," Sweat said. "I'm excited for the year and what he brings to the table."
In three preseason games, Booker has recorded eight tackles and 2.5 sacks.
"He's starting to notice how guys like to block him," Sweat said. "He's trying out new moves and he's just learning the defense and learning how to move faster within it."
Kind of scary
Sweat has liked what he's seen from Williams in practice.
"He's just a very talented QB," Sweat said. "He's a leader of men. Looking forward to seeing him lead this football team."
Facing a Bears defense that's expected to be among the league's best has helped Williams prepare for his rookie season.
"[We] definitely showed him what an NFL defense looks like," Sweat said. "I feel like we're definitely one of the top defenses in the league, so I feel like that is a great experience for him. He's taking it head on. I see him getting better and better every day. It's kind of scary."
