Chicago Bears training camp: Jonathan Owens ‘so lucky’ to watch Simone Biles at Olympics

LAKE FOREST – When Jonathan Owens was a free agent in March, he made sure that the Chicago Bears knew he needed a few days off in August to watch his wife at the Olympics in Paris.

That was a priority for the 29-year-old safety, who is married to gymnastics superstar Simone Biles. Owens signed with the Bears in March after one season with the Green Bay Packers, and the Bears kept their promise. Owens plans to attend practice Monday at Halas Hall, then head to the airport for his flight to Paris later that day.

He’ll return Saturday, Aug. 3. He’ll miss only a couple of practices, as well as the Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 1.

But this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Owens, who wasn’t allowed to travel to the Olympics in 2021 when the event was heavily impacted by COVID-19 restrictions.

“Words can’t even describe it,” Owens said Thursday at Halas Hall. “I just think about how did I get so lucky that this is my wife? I get to see her, someone that’s literally at the pinnacle of their sport, and I get to call this my wife.”

Owens and Biles met in 2020 through a dating app. They were engaged in 2022 and married in April 2023.

Owens is just happy that he’ll get to see his wife next week. The Olympics are, obviously, a pretty crazy time for Biles. She and the U.S. gymnastics team are already in Paris for the games. After the Olympics, she’ll go on tour across the U.S. Between football season and the post-Olympics tour, it will be a busy autumn in their household.

Owens has become Biles’ No. 1 fan. He keeps score with pen and paper at her gymnastics events. He called watching her compete “super nerve-racking.”

“Like when she’s on the floor or the beam, I just know how long you work for it and how much you put into it,” Owens said. “So when you see someone out there, I don’t know, I can’t describe it. We’re just out there holding our breath.”

Biles won the individual all-round gold medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and led the U.S. team to the team gold. Five years later, at the 2020 games (which were delayed a year by the pandemic) she made headlines when she withdrew from the competition. The U.S. team took a disappointing silver medal without her.

The 2024 games are about redemption. Biles, 27, will compete in her third Olympics, becoming the first U.S. women’s gymnast to do so since Dominique Dawes (1992, 1996 and 2000).

For the Bears, there was never any hesitation. They were very willing to make the schedule work for Owens.

“We respect the Olympics,” head coach Matt Eberflus said. “That is a big deal. And he’s just supporting the one he loves the most. And I think that’s so cool that he gets to do that. We welcome that and it’s going to be awesome. Go USA.”

On the football field, Owens is a backup safety who will likely see action on special teams.

Defense has nice day in red zone

The Bears’ defense took control of practice during team sessions Thursday at Halas Hall. The practice was mostly centered on red zone situations. Caleb Williams and the offense struggled in that area.

Highlights of the day included a strip sack from defensive end Montez Sweat. Sweat appeared to knock the ball loose from Williams’ grasp, then immediately realized he was too close to the QB and patted himself on the chest as if to say, “My bad.”

“It’s harder in the red zone because things are shorter, it’s condensed, and it’s just harder to execute down there,” Eberflus said. “So, windows are tighter. We’re going to have to learn what those are.”

In an end-of-half situation, Williams and the offense had the ball at the 50-yard line with less than a minute on the clock but couldn’t get into field goal range.

Williams and the offensive playmakers did have an easier time in the red zone during 7-on-7 drills. Williams tossed a couple of touchdowns in that session.

The Bears will don their full pads for the first time during training camp Friday. So far, all practices have been in helmets only.

Taking attendance

Bears starting cornerback Kyler Gordon sat out practice because of an undisclosed injury.

“He had some tightness last practice and we pulled him,” Eberflus said. “He’s still feeling that tightness right now.”

Left tackle Braxton Jones has been limited during practice for several days. It’s unclear what Jones’ injury is. The Bears are not required to provide information on injuries until the regular season.

Eberflus said he believes Jones will be out on the field in pads with the rest of his teammates Friday. Larry Borom has filled in at left tackle for some reps.

Rookie tackle Kiran Amegadjie remains sidelined by a quad injury.