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While it’s been an exciting first week of Bears training camp, the fun can really begin when the team finally puts the pads on starting Tuesday.
Chicago has had five non-padded practices, which have made for some standout outings by Justin Fields, Kyler Gordon, Jaquan Brisker and Velus Jones Jr. But now the true evaluation begins, especially for the defensive line and offensive line.
The Bears will be in pads for two straight days — Tuesday and Wednesday, both practices open to fans. Eberflus said that the first couple of days in pads will be telling.
“What we expect out of that is really you get to see guys play the game,” Eberflus said. “So far you’ve seen pass rushers rush against offensive tackles who have no pads on. You’ve seen the run blocking with no pads on. It’s hard to evaluate that.
“When you get the pads on now, you can really see (that) guys will either rise or they’ll fall a little bit based on the pads. I’ve seen it every year. So we’re looking for that. We’re looking for guys that can play with leverage, play with the pads on and the guys that are physical because we covet the guys that are physical, that want to play the style we want to play.”
While the plan was to originally put the pads on for the first time Monday, Eberflus decided it was better to give the team another practice, after an off day, before getting after it.
“It’s better for the players to get them back into the swing of things,” he said.
- The Bears returned to the practice field on Monday, the last workout before the pads finally come on. Here’s what we learned from the fifth practice of the summer.
- There’s been an interesting development in the Teven Jenkins saga — the Bears have been entertaining trade talks involving the former second-round pick.
- While Jenkins appears to be dealing with an injury, it also sounds like there are some issues involving him and the new coaching staff.
- With the first week of practice in the books, it’s been rookies Kyler Gordon, Jaquan Brisker and Velus Jones Jr. stealing the show.
- Roquan Smith remains sidelined on the PUP list, but the star linebacker is staying involved with his team during training camp.
- Loaded everywhere, Packers defense has elite players at each level. READ MORE ON PACKERS WIRE.
- Irv Smith Jr. left practice early with ‘possible injury.’ READ MORE ON VIKINGS WIRE.
- Aidan Hutchinson earns praise for his Michael Jackson performance. READ MORE ON LIONS WIRE.
