The Bears held a split practice Wednesday at Halas Hall before flying to Ohio for Thursday night's Hall of Fame Game against the Texans in Canton. Starters won't play in the preseason opener and therefore worked out in pads, while reserves took part in a walk-through. Here's what transpired:

The radiant smile that always seems to be plastered across receiver DJ Moore's face sparkled even brighter than usual when he spoke to reporters.

The Bears star was beaming after signing a lucrative four-year contract extension through the 2029 season Tuesday night.

"Feels great," Moore said. "Security. The guaranteed money was awesome. That was the main part that I loved out of the whole thing."

Acquired by the Bears last year in a blockbuster trade with the Panthers, Moore flourished in his first season in Chicago, establishing career highs in all receiving categories with 96 catches, 1,364 yards and eight touchdowns. The 1,364 yards ranked sixth in the NFL and were the fourth most in Bears history.

"The organization embraced me from the time that I got here," Moore said. "From the time that we got traded to the time that ink got on that paper, it has been nothing but love. I hope that it's always going to be that way and I'm going to keep going out there and putting my best foot forward."

After playing with several quarterbacks during his first six NFL seasons, Moore is excited about pairing with Caleb Williams, the No. 1 overall pick in this year's draft, hopefully for years to come.

"That's part of the reason [to sign a new deal]," Moore said. "I think Caleb is going to be excellent. He's going to be a superstar. I just wanted to be a part of that."

Asked why he believes Williams is going to become a superstar, Moore said: "Shoot, just how he handles our defense. He dices them up. They show something new at him, he goes around asking them questions on how he can be better with it. I know he takes everything in one ear, and it just stays there. And then he goes out there and carves them up probably the next two plays. It's just amazing to watch."

Moore's teammates celebrated his contract extension in the locker room with him following Tuesday's walk-through.

"Oh my gosh," Moore said. "If you asked anybody, that was probably the turntest locker room I've ever been a part of. It was going berserk when everybody got back to their phones and saw what happened. They were wondering why I left walk-throughs last night, and they figured it out as soon as they got back. It was pretty cool."

Moore explained to reporters how the new contract came about.

"They sent the offer probably like two or three days before," he said. "Then, my agent, Drew [Rosenhaus], and everybody came to the open practice [Tuesday] and then it just happened like that, like magic."

First test looming

First-year defensive coordinator Eric Washington is excited about assessing his players in their first game action Thursday night.

"We're going to evaluate everything that we do against our core philosophy, and that's the 'HITS' principle," Washington said. "We want to see great hustle, great intensity. We want the players to really recognize certain situations and respond accordingly. We're going to really grade and evaluate everything we're doing against our core values, and that's the HITS principle."

Washington is back with the Bears for a second stint after beginning his NFL coaching career in Chicago as a defensive assistant (2008-09) and defensive line coach (2010). In the process, he has reunited with current cornerbacks coach and defensive passing game coordinator Jon Hoke, who served as Bears defensive backs coach from 2009-14.

"[He's] very methodical," Washington said, "well-versed in multiple coverages—especially the primary one we play here—and his building block philosophy as far as the corner position is concerned is really second to none. And just his overall understanding of the passing game.

"He has been a mentor with me when I was here the first time. I was able to go and just learn about how everything ties together, going into his office late at night and talking about the passing game even though my primary focus was up front with the front seven."

Washington is thrilled about coaching in the Hall of Fame Game a couple days before Devin Hester and Julius Peppers are enshrined as part of the Class of 2024. Hester and Peppers both played for the Bears during Washington's first stint, and he was Peppers' position coach in Chicago during the 2010 season and again with Carolina in 2017-18.

"It's a really special thing to have experienced and I'm looking forward to seeing those guys," Washington said. "It is an unbelievable blessing to have come all the way from where I was, where those guys were in their career, to watch them receive this particular honor."