When Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles traded for offensive lineman Joe Thuney in March, there were plenty of reasons why Poles wanted to add the veteran All-Pro to his roster.

Thuney had done it all and seen it all up to that point. He had won four Super Bowls with the New England Patriots and the Kansas City Chiefs and was a major upgrade at the left guard position after earning four All-Pro accolades.

But Thuney also provided something else that Poles wanted to add to the roster with new head coach Ben Johnson: veteran leadership. Over the spring and throughout training camp, Thuney exuded that leadership as he embraced the role with his new team.

“It’s great,” Thuney told reporters at Halas Hall in Lake Forest on Wednesday. “These camp days, we have so much time. We’re here for a long time. We talk about anything and everything. I think guys in the O-line room, everyone loves football. We all love talking ball and the things you’ve seen. The other guys in the O-line room, they have great stories, too, and great experiences, too. It’s a great back and forth. I’m happy to be part of the room.”

Players on both sides of the line of scrimmage have credited Thuney with making them better this camp. Young offensive linemen such as Theo Benedet and rookie Ozzy Trapilo called Thuney a great leader to have in the room and have tried to learn from him as much as possible.

Thuney got a chance to work alongside both Benedet and Trapilo during camp’s starting left tackle competition. They learned from both watching his technique, even if not all of it translated to tackle, and by the encouraging words he provided during the battle.

Defensive players have learned a lot, too. Whether it’s a veteran like defensive tackle Grady Jarrett or a younger player like tackle Gervon Dexter, there’s a lot to learn from going against and being close to Thuney.

“You watch him,” offensive line coach Dan Roushar said. “Watch how he does everything, from the minute he enters the building to how he goes into the meeting to what he does on the field, whether it be a walkthrough or any team rep. It’s invaluable to have him, to have Jonah [Jackson], to have Drew [Dalman], guys that have played. I think we’re all growing from that.”

Thuney is also imparting wisdom to quarterback Caleb Williams whenever he needs it.

He’s played with two great quarterbacks in his career: the Patriots’ Tom Brady and the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes. While Thuney doesn’t get into specifics of how each quarterback handled different situations or make it a point to be a part of Williams’ development, he does try to share his general experiences with both Williams and his offensive linemen teammates.

Thuney didn’t want to get into playing comparisons when he was asked the similarities and differences he saw among Williams, Brady and Mahomes. Brady was a longtime veteran when Thuney joined him and Mahomes had a few years under his belt when he went to the Chiefs.

But Thuney has seen growth from Williams. There’s a lot of improvement in terms of communication and understanding the offense compared to when they started in the spring. He’s encouraged by what it means for the future.

“I think Caleb’s done a great job taking everything in stride, even for a younger player, someone who doesn’t have the amount of repetitions that my other quarterbacks have had, and he’s done a great job of just working his tail off before work starts, and after, he stays after,” Thuney said. “And so it’s been great to see that, his dedication to the game and to the playbook has been awesome. So those are things you’re really excited to see as an offensive lineman.”

Roster moves

The Bears made a few roster moves the day after cutting down their roster.

They claimed cornerback Jaylon Jones and linebacker D’Marco Jackson. To make those claims, the Bears released long snapper Scott Daly and wide receiver punt returner Devin Duvernay.

Jones previously played with the Bears over the past three seasons, where he became a role player on both defense and special teams. He played in 41 games and started five over three years in Chicago, totaling 85 tackles and a forced fumble. Jones signed with the Arizona Cardinals in March and competed with the team until he was cut Tuesday.

“We like Jaylon defensively and we like him on special teams, as well as D’Marco,” special teams coordinator Richard Hightower said. “So looking forward to both of those guys coming in and helping us on defense and on special teams.”

Jackson spent the past three seasons with the New Orleans Saints after they selected him in the fifth round in 2022. After missing his rookie season with an injury, he played in 27 games over two years. He had 26 tackles and mostly received special teams snaps.

He’ll reunite with Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, who was his former head coach with the Saints.

The Bears could likely bring back both Duvernay and Daly as they re-work their roster over the next few days and week.

“There are a lot of transactions that happen over the next 48 hours and the last 24 hours, so it’s a lot of transactions this time of year,” Hightower said. “So that just is what it is.”

The team also brought in 15 players to its practice squad. They signed wide receivers Maurice Alexander, Miles Boykin and JP Richardson, running back Brittain Brown, tight end Stephen Carlson, defensive ends Xavier Carlton, Tanoh Kpassagnon and Jamree Kromah, linebacker Power Echols, long snapper Luke Elkin, cornerbacks Tre Flowers and Mekhi Garner, defensive tackle Jonathan Ford, offensive linemen Jordan McFadden and Ricky Stromberg.

Injury update

Safety Jaquan Brisker and rookie linebacker Ruben Hyppolite each left Wednesday’s practice early. Linebacker T.J. Edwards and defensive end Dominique Robinson continued to miss practice after they left Tuesday’s practice early.

Running backs Roschon Johnson and Kyle Monangai and defensive end Austin Booker continued to miss practice.