Bears

Chicago Bears training camp report for Aug. 1: Nate Davis misses practice

Bears hold first padded practice of training camp

LAKE FOREST – It’s time to start hitting. The pads are on at Halas Hall.

The Bears moved into the next phase of training camp, donning full pads for the first time Tuesday. Practices are about to get real. Head coach Matt Eberflus said practice was a little bit shorter on reps Tuesday, just to ease the players back into hitting each other. Wednesday’s practice should ramp up even more.

Shaw Local will be keeping tabs on everything that happens at camp. Shaw Local Bears beat reporter Sean Hammond will be out at Halas Hall in Lake Forest each day during camp. Follow him on Twitter here and on Instagram here. Follow Shaw Local Bears analyst Marc Silverman on Twitter here.

Here’s the latest form practice on Tuesday.

Injury updates: Bears new starting right guard Nate Davis was absent Tuesday. The 26-year-old offensive lineman just signed a three-year, $30 million free agent contract with $19.25 million in guarantees over the offseason. He was one of the biggest free agent additions that the Bears made in March.

Davis had been playing right guard with the first-team offense early on in training camp. Last year’s right guard, Teven Jenkins, slid over to left guard to accommodate Davis in the lineup. On Tuesday, backup lineman Lucas Patrick took the first-team reps in Davis’ spot at right guard.

Additionally, rookie running back Roschon Johnson and veteran fullback Khari Blasingame were present but not participating in practice. Tight end Chase Allen was absent for the second consecutive day. The Bears also signed another tight end, free agent Jared Pinkney, on Monday.

Linebacker Jack Sanborn left Tuesday’s practice early with a trainer, walking on his own. He appeared to get dinged up during a red zone session.

Eberflus said he will not discuss injuries during the preseason.

“They’re working to get back as fast as possible,” Eberflus said.

Brisker’s big day: The Bears spent some time working on red zone situations during practice Tuesday. Highlights included a touchdown pass from quarterback Justin Fields to receiver Chase Claypool in heavy traffic. Fields had to step up to evade a collapsing edge rusher. Claypool made a tough catch with little space.

In that same period, second-year safety Jaquan Brisker had an impressive pass break up in front of receiver DJ Moore. Brisker made sure that Fields heard about it, too, jawing at the QB. Brisker has been making his presence known during the early days of camp.

“He’s one of our guys that is a definite elite competitor,” Eberflus said. “He loves to compete, he loves football, we love Jaquan’s emotion and passion.”

“[Jaquan Brisker is] one of our guys that is a definite elite competitor. He loves to compete, he loves football, we love Jaquan’s emotion and passion.”

—  Matt Eberflus, Bears head coach

In a two-minute drill near the end of practice, Trevis Gipson had what would’ve been a sack against Fields to send the offense backwards. The offense, however, recovered thanks to a huge gain on a deep ball from Fields to rookie receiver Tyler Scott. It flipped the field position and gave the Bears a shot at the end zone. Fields connected with Moore for a touchdown two plays later.

“Got a chance to work our scramble drill there and find open people,” Eberflus said of the touchdown pass to Moore.

Brisker made another big play when the first-team defense took on the second-team offense in a two-minute drill, intercepting backup quarterback PJ Walker.

Sean Hammond

Sean Hammond

Sean is the Chicago Bears beat reporter for the Shaw Local News Network. He has covered the Bears since 2020. Prior to writing about the Bears, he covered high school sports for the Northwest Herald and contributed to Friday Night Drive. Sean joined Shaw Media in 2016.