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Quick Hits: Recapping Day 1 of rookie minicamp

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Matt Nagy wasn't able to attend the first of three rookie minicamp practices Friday at Halas Hall. But thanks to modern technology, the Bears coach was able to watch the two-hour workout from his usual perspective.

"Kyle Childress, my assistant, was out there, and he was walking around with the big iPad and was giving me that view from where I would normally stand," Nagy said on a Zoom call with reporters.

"It's definitely a little bit different. It wasn't quite HD. It was a little blurry. But at the same time, I was able to tell whether it was a good play or not. So I'm anxious to get to the video and see what it looks like from a bird's eye view."

Nagy participated virtually because he's a close contact of someone who tested positive for COVID-19. The Bears coach revealed that he will remain home Saturday but hopes to return to Halas Hall for the final day of rookie minicamp.

"Hopefully the best-case scenario is I can come back on Sunday morning," Nagy said. "I do appreciate our head trainer, Andre Tucker, our nurses, testing nurses and our team doctors for taking great care of my family during this time."

Nagy said that, in his absence, special teams coordinator Chris Tabor led Friday's practice.

"Coach Tabor was running the show today, so I've just got to make sure he wasn't turning this thing into like 80 percent special teams day and telling all the coaches they've got 'margarita night' tonight," Nagy joked.

Good start: Nagy was pleased with how the players—many of whom were donning an NFL jersey and helmet for the first time—performed in Friday's practice.

The 33 players taking part in the rookie minicamp consist of seven draft picks, 13 undrafted free agents, eight first-year pros and five unsigned veterans who are participating on a tryout basis.

"We had our virtual unit install meetings this morning, and then as you all just saw, they took it to the grass for some field work," Nagy said. "I thought they looked really good. Everything is easy right now on paper and then it always changes when you get to the field for the first time, and there are those moving parts and it's stuff that you haven't done in this offense, defense or special teams. So it's really going to be about mental reps for them this weekend.

"It's probably going to be the slowest that they look, and they're going to feel that. [But] they all had a really good day, just talking to some of the coaches with what they thought it was like live and in person. It went really well, so I'm happy for that, but definitely excited to get back out there hopefully Sunday."

Thinking of Tarik: Nagy opened his video session with reporters by sending a message of support to veteran running back Tarik Cohen, whose twin brother, Tyrell, passed away last weekend at the age of 25.

"I want to start out by giving all of our thoughts and prayers to Tarik Cohen and his family with the loss of his twin brother, Tyrell," Nagy said. "We're thinking about them every day and everything that they're going through right now. I know that it has been a little bit of time since then, but they are all in our thoughts and prayers and we miss them."

33 players, including the Bears' 2021 draft class, hit the practice fields at Halas Hall Friday afternoon for the first day of rookie minicamp.

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