After a day off Monday, the Bears returned to Halas Hall and held a non-contact practice that was open to the public Tuesday. Here's what transpired:

Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams looked sharp operating a two-minute drill late in the workout.

Taking possession at his own 30 and trailing 20-17 with 1:20 left in the fourth quarter, Williams completed passes to receiver DJ Moore, running back D'Andre Swift and tight end Gerald Everett. The No. 1 overall pick also scrambled for a first down, setting up Cairo Santos' game-tying 49-yard field goal as time expired.

"Good operation by the offense needing a field goal there at the end of a game," said coach Matt Eberflus. "Did a nice job of moving that into position. Thought that was very good."

The only pass that Williams did not complete on the drive was batted down by defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr.

The second-team offense scored a touchdown on its two-minute drill on quarterback Tyson Bagent's pass to receiver Freddie Swain down the right sideline.

Reinforcements arrive

The No. 1 offense benefited from the return of left guard Teven Jenkins and right tackle Darnell Wright, both of whom had been sidelined by minor injuries.

Asked if getting two starting linemen back led him to lean toward playing Williams in Saturday's preseason game in Buffalo, Eberflus said: "Yeah, I think it does. But again, we've got to evaluate where that is later in the week. I think we'll have some clarity on that by Thursday. I'll be back up at the podium at that point, so we should have some clarity there."

With right guard Nate Davis still sidelined due to an injury, the line continued to feature Coleman Shelton at center and Ryan Bates at right guard.

"We're just really working the combinations there," Eberflus said. "You saw before the break we had Bates at center and now we have Coleman at center and variations at guard. We're just trying to find development in terms of those positions and depth and also find the formula for success there in terms of the first game. We're not there yet. We're in the middle of camp."

Eberflus acknowledged it's possible that Bates could eventually challenge Davis for the starting right guard position.

"If a person's out for an extended period of time and the player that's in that position is playing very well, at a starter level, and doing a good job there, then you create the competition," Eberflus said. "You say, 'Hey, there's a competition.' People say you can't lose a job because of injury. I don't think that's true. I think if the guy that's playing there gives our team a good look and a good benefit for him being in that position, then it's a competition. Or the other guy could take it over. That's not just at guard. That's at all positions."

The Bears would like to cement their starting five up front as soon as possible, but Eberflus will let the situation play out.

"You want continuity, and you want consistency, for sure," he said. "We'll go as fast as we can to make that decision, but we'll also have our patience and go as slow as we need to to make the right decision. I think it's important that you look at it that way. Certainly, we want to get it solidified, but sometimes injury plays into that where you get opportunity and position flex based on that. Everybody is not healthy all the time. But yeah, for sure, we want the consistency to be there as fast as we can."

Switching spots

Third-year receiver Velus Jones Jr. lined up at running back Tuesday and will continue to do so for the rest of the week in practice.

"We feel that because of the versatility, of the talent and the skillsets that he offers our offense, [it's] another way to have a weapon back there," Eberflus said. "Hopefully that grows into something. That's [coordinator] Shane [Waldron] and the offensive staff just being creative, being able to maximize our talents on our roster. So, that's good to see him back there."

The Bears will re-evaluate where Jones fits best after Saturday's preseason game against the Bills.

"Like I said, he's got a lot of talent," Eberflus said. "He's open to moving around … If you're [on] the fringe roster or a guy that's competing for that fifth or sixth spot at receiver or halfback or whatever it might be, the more you can do [will increase your chances of earning a job]. If you're a four-core guy in special teams, the more you can utilize your talents across a wider base of the team, I believe that's a good thing for you, so that's what he's doing."

Selected by the Bears in the third round of the 2022 draft out of Tennessee, Jones has appeared in 26 games with two starts in two seasons, catching 11 passes for 127 yards and one touchdown, rushing for 154 yards and one TD on 17 carries and averaging 27.4 yards on 38 kickoff returns.

Asked what he wants to see from Jones at running back this week, Eberflus said: "Really just execution, and then show us your skillset. We're putting you back there because you're fast, you're a bigger, stouter receiver that does a good job in the return game. You can utilize him in a bunch of different spots back there, and it will be good to line up in different spots, so really just the operation of that."

Zebra sightings

NFL referee John Hussey and his officiating crew are spending three days at Halas Hall this week working with Bears players.

"We really utilize the NFL officials when they come in," Eberflus said. "[Bears director of research and analysis] Harry Freid does a wonderful job with those guys, organizing those guys when they come in in terms of telling them what we're doing in practice, situations in practice, so they understand exactly what we're trying to accomplish.

"Then we invite them in to meet with our players. There will be an official at every position. They'll be helping us in watching tape with us and making sure we're doing the things right, in terms of the rules, in terms of the style of play and questions that we might have that might come up as we watch the tape."

Hard Knocks

The first of five installments of "Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Chicago Bears" debuts on HBO Tuesday at 8 p.m. (CT). The series will be available on all HBO platforms, with new hour-long episodes premiering each subsequent Tuesday.

Appearing on Hard Knocks this year for the first time, the Bears are the latest franchise to be featured in the documentary series, as camera crews from NFL Films chronicle the inner workings of the team, providing unparalleled access to the team in preparation for the 2024 season.