Postgame email coming, but what'd you think?

Which players impressed you the most? What stood out to you?

Ben Johnson wasn’t lying when he said the initial reports that Bryant would be out 8-10 weeks weren’t true. Sadly, that did not mean Bryant we oils be back sooner than expected. Bryant underwent knee surgery on Friday according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune and will be out 4-6 months.

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When it rains, it pours, and on a stormy Sunday afternoon, the Chicago Bears took yet another injury in practice.

Chicago Bears On SIBears' Injury Woes Get Even Worse as Another Receiver Leaves Practice EarlyWhen it rains, it pours, and on a stormy Sunday afternoon in Chicago, injury woes continue to plague the Chicago Bears. Rookie wide receiver Zavion Thomas exite

Out for "a little bit of time" according to Ian Rapoport.

Better than a knee, of course, but annoying nonetheless. Would've been nice for this offense to get an uninterrupted run during training camp/joint practices.

Just before halftime of the Pro Football Hall of Fame game, Chris Collinsworth said this after a busted play: “You don’t run backwards and throw the ball in this league…unless you’re Caleb Williams.”

What a time to be alive, when a Chicago quarterback is getting talked about like some inevitable force of nature!

I'd love to hear your ranking of Ryan Poles' top 10 draft picks. But before we give Poles all the credit, let's remember that every GM needs a little help from the football gods.

On January 8, 2023, Lovie Smith and the Texans delivered perhaps the greatest parting gift in Bears history. A 28-yard touchdown pass from Davis Mills to Jordan Akins helped Houston beat Indianapolis and bumped the Bears into the No. 1 overall draft position.

Poles deserves plenty of credit for turning that pick into D.J. Moore and a mountain of draft capital from Carolina. But if we're handing out game balls, one might belong to Lovie Smith.

Sometimes great roster-building starts with great scouting. Other times it starts with the other team winning a game they probably shouldn't have.

It's all subjective and I put a lot of emphasis on durability and of course performance.

1. 1. Darnell Wright

2. 2. Caleb Williams

3. 3. Colston Loveland

4. 4. Luther Burden III

5. 5. Kyler Gordon

6. 6. Jaquan Brisker

7. 7. Kyle Monangai

8. 8. Braxton Jones

9. 9. Austin Booker

10. 10. Dillon Thieneman

I have Jones in the Top 10. Coming out of Southern Utah, he was one of those later-round picks that exceeded expectations early in his career and graded out very well during his first two seasons. Injuries have slowed his progress, and I believe if Ozzy Trapilo hadn't been injured against the Packers, he'd likely be the Bears' starting left tackle heading into this season. This could very well be Braxton's final year in Chicago, but a lot will depend on how Ozzy recovers and develops.

I have Darnell Wright ranked No. 1 because he has been an absolute stalwart at right tackle since arriving in Chicago. As someone who played offensive line my entire life, I'm always going to appreciate the guys doing the heavy lifting up front. Wright has been incredibly consistent, and the contract extension he received speaks volumes about the value he brings to the team and the respect he has earned around the league. If he continues on his current trajectory, I think he has a legitimate chance to establish himself as one of the best tackles in football this season.

Of course, that's just one Bears fan's opinion. I enjoy discussions like this because they provide a good benchmark for evaluating how well Ryan Poles has performed as general manager. Overall, I think Poles has done a solid job, but he still needs to improve his hit rate on some of his later-round selections.

That said, I believe the arrival of Ben Johnson has already had a positive impact on the organization's direction. The collaboration between the coaching staff and front office seems stronger than ever, and I'm particularly excited about several of this year's draft selections.

I really like picks three through six: Zavion Thomas, Malik Muhammad, Keyshaun Elliott, and Jordan van den Berg. I think all four will see meaningful snaps this season, and I'm looking forward to watching their development. If they can contribute early and become long-term pieces, this draft class could end up being one of Poles' better groups.

BEAR DOWN!!!

https://x.com/AdamHoge/status/2084284452453126536

X (formerly Twitter)Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) on XNot good. Coby Bryant just went down grabbing his left knee during a 1-on-1 rep vs Cole Kmet. He was clearly emotional as he got on a cart under his own power. I’ll caution you that they are on the far fields so a cart is not unusual, but the fact that he was so emotional is

My family had a set out of tickets to today's practice but we didn't make the trip up there (about an hour away) because I knew they'd wash it at some point. Feel really bad for the people who did get up and make the effort to go. Lucky enough to also have tickets for Thursday — 70 percent chance of rain — so fingers crossed over here.

Caleb Williams is lightyears ahead of last season.

Everything about his game seems improved. He’s commanding the offense, dicing up the defense, completing over 70% of his passes, and showing a real connection with Rome Odunze and Colston Loveland.

The defense remains a major question mark

Any excitement for the offense is tempered by the state of the defense. Are they are genuinely bad unit, which makes the offense’s performance slightly less impressive? Or are they good, but the offense is just elite?

LT won’t be a problem

Many people look at Ozzy Trapilo’s absence as a reason the Bears’ offense will regress, but I don’t see it. Braxton Jones has the pole position to be the starting left tackle in Week 1, and thus far in camp he has not disappointed. He was an above-average tackle in his last healthy season, finishing 2024 with a Top 20 PFF grade, and I think people have forgotten that.

Let's hear it.

Training camp is upon us, and Kyler Gordon still can’t get healthy enough to practice. He’s a tremendous talent, and the defense is noticeably better without him, but he just can’t stay healthy.

If this keeps up, you have to believe that this will be his last season in Chicago. Ben Johnson already expressed frustration with his lack of availability, and that was two months ago.

I'll take it!

X (formerly Twitter)NFL (@NFL) on XNo. 51 on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2026… @ChicagoBears QB Caleb Williams! @NFLFilms

https://x.com/NFL/status/2080669335555834184https://x.com/NFL/status/2080669335555834184

I had my five things in today's newsletter. How about you?

In honor of Patrick Kane's return ...

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We’ve seen Caleb crack the Top 10 according to ESPN’s surveying of scouts, coaches, and executives, and he’s also likely headed for a Top 50 finish in the player-voted NFL Top 100 list. But are these rankings more of a projection of his future, or is he already among the NFL’s elite?

I wrote about #84 in this morning's newsletter and focused on the possibility of Loveland becoming the first Bears TE since Mike Ditka to go over 1,000 receiving yards in a season.

Last year's line: 58 receptions, 713 yards, six touchdowns

Where do you think he lands in 2026?