LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The Chicago Bears’ starting offense on Tuesday had two interceptions, a fumbled snap, back-to-back false starts in a two-minute situation, and it ended with receiver Luther Burden III on the ground after an incomplete pass, slow to get up.
The good news? It’s Aug. 4; it’s been one of the better camps for a Bears offense, and Burden said he’s OK when he spoke to the media after practice.
“Every day is not gonna be a great day,” Burden said. “You can strive for that, but it’s camp. It’s gonna be ups and downs. So that’s the good part about it. We get to come back and watch it.”
Quarterback Caleb Williams tried to thread a desperation end zone throw to Burden through three defenders with three seconds on the clock. Linebacker Devin Bush laid the wood on Burden, which left the receiver shaken.
All eyes are on Caleb Williams entering Year 2 under Ben Johnson
Kevin Fishbain
Immediately after the play, Bush went to help Burden up before rejoining the defense.
“I was going to pick him up,” Bush said. “I seen he was laying down. But I wasn’t going to move him if he didn’t want to be moved. I wasn’t really trying to send no message to anybody. But if it was another color jersey, then yeah.”
Williams did rally from the second-and-20 hole the offense put themselves in after the drill began — 54 seconds left from the Bears’ 47-yard line, trailing by five points. He hit Burden for 11 yards, tight end Colston Loveland for 6 yards and then found receiver Kalif Raymond on fourth down for 15 yards. Without a timeout, Williams found receiver Rome Odunze for 9 yards on a drag, setting up the final play.
The defense won the drill, and won the day.
Bears linebacker Devin Bush is a symbol of the offseason upgrade of speed for coordinator Dennis Allen’s defense. (David Banks / Associated Press)
Player in the spotlight: LB Devin Bush
Bush showed his physicality on the hit that caused Bears fans at Halas Hall to hold their breath. At the beginning of the drill, he showed his rare speed, chasing Williams outside the pocket and forcing a throwaway.
That’s going to help the quarterback get ready for the pressure he’ll face in the regular season.
“Just for him to make the right decision, obviously taking care of the ball in that situation is, you know, the priority,” Bush said. “Simulating those game reps as much as you could, obviously without the contact, helps him and me as well.”
And then for Bush, who signed a three-year, $30 million contract in March as Tremaine Edmunds’ replacement, chasing Williams helps get him ready for the mobile QBs on the Bears’ schedule.
“He’s super agile,” Bush said of Williams. “I didn’t think he was that agile, but chasing him and him being able to get the ball off like that in those different angles. Who we got? We got Kyler. Kyler Murray in this division now, so a guy obviously that’s quick and fast like that. So it’s just great. Great rep and to replicate that.”
Bush flew around the field Tuesday. On the first play of the two-minute drill, he came off his man to deflect a pass Williams attempted on the run.
“I’ve known him since he was at Michigan,” running back D’Andre Swift said. “And then his play speed at the linebacker position is something you definitely notice when you are out there. Being able to recover and things like that. And then he’s great sideline to sideline.”
The No. 10 pick in 2019, Bush had his best season in 2025, with two pick-sixes, 125 tackles, four QB hits and seven tackles for loss. With T.J. Edwards still sidelined, Bush is the veteran in the middle of the Bears defense, and while it’s noticeable that he’s a half-foot smaller than Edmunds, he’s a symbol of the offseason upgrade of speed for coordinator Dennis Allen’s unit.
“Obviously, size, length, those are things that we value. And yet speed and athleticism is something that we value also,” Allen said. “I do think that he’s going to bring some coverage versatility that I’m excited about.”
Pressing question
How does Coby Bryant’s injury affect Allen’s plans for the defense?
Less than 24 hours after losing his starting safety for at least two months, Allen stood at the lectern at Halas Hall.
“He’s a big part of what we have planned to do and will still be a big part of what we have planned to do,” he said.
Bryant has impressed everyone since arriving in March, but now the focus turns to rookie Dillon Thieneman and veteran newcomer Cam Lewis, not to mention the hope that Elijah Hicks can get healthy soon.
Allen confirmed that Lewis will focus on safety after working at safety and nickel corner the first week of camp.
“I just think his experience and his versatility … is why we have a guy like this,” Allen said. “So if you have injuries in certain spots, we have guys that we can plug in that aren’t just one-spot players; they can play multiple positions.”
Keep an eye on… D’Andre Swift’s pursuit of explosive runs
In Swift’s preparation for his seventh NFL season, he’s looking for more big, game-changing runs.
Swift had a career-best 1,087 rushing yards and nine touchdowns last season in his reunion with coach Ben Johnson. But he wants to see his number of explosive runs increase.
“The only thing I was missing last year that I need to do a better job of is I need more explosive runs, longer runs. I need to showcase that,” he said. “I didn’t have a lot of those last year. I think we can go out there and improve that.”
It’s not a question of speed, Swift said, but “creating more space for myself. … When I do get space, it’s making the most out of when I do get space.”
In 2025, Swift had 30 rushes that went for 10 yards or more, according to TruMedia, which ranked seventh in the NFL. But he had only five runs of 20 yards or more, which tied for 17th in the league in a group that included quarterbacks Josh Allen, Justin Herbert and Baker Mayfield.
Kenneth Walker III and Jahmyr Gibbs had twice as many 20-plus runs as Swift.
Swift wouldn’t share it, but he has a number of explosive runs he hopes to collect this season. The Bears ranked third in the NFL in rushing but 30th in rushes of 20-plus yards. We’ll see if that point of emphasis pays off in 2026 with more home runs for Swift.
Quote of note
Allen has coached in the NFL since 2002, including two stints as a head coach. He’s gone through many training camp news conferences. He’s used to the “What do you want to see out of Player X” questions.
He had an enthusiastic response to the umpteenth time he got the question.
“‘What do you want to see out of this guy? What do you want to see out of this guy?’ You know what I want to see? I want to see 11 frickin’ dudes on the field competing their ass off.”
Quick hits
• The Bears signed defensive back Marlen Sewell and placed defensive end Jonathan Garvin on injured reserve. Sewell was a team captain at Vanderbilt.
• Cornerback Terell Smith and defensive back KC Eziomume were not at practice. Running back Kyle Monangai got back into team drills Tuesday.
• A few of the highlights for the offense — Burden had a one-handed catch and later took a drag route for a long gain. Loveland went up for a long reception down the right sideline.
• Running back Salvon Ahmed had another long run, which ended with a physical hit from safety Anthony Johnson Jr.
• We had our first mini-fracas of camp when rookie defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg finished the play with a little aggression against fellow rookie offensive lineman Caden Barnett. Van den Berg’s veteran teammates, led by Montez Sweat, celebrated the moment.
