Bears’ left tackle competition adds another contender; Colston Loveland shines

When the Chicago Bears’ starting offense took the field Friday, a new player manned the left tackle spot.

Kiran Amegadjie, a 2024 third-round pick, took most of the reps with the first unit.

Considered somewhat of an afterthought in the left tackle competition, Amegadjie played a day’s worth of snaps for the coaches to observe. On two snaps, defensive end Austin Booker appeared to get the better of Amegadjie, but this was also a non-padded practice.

Amegadjie was part of the competition last summer, but injuries limited him in camp. He made the 53-man roster, but was inactive the first two games before landing on injured reserve.

In April 2025, coach Ben Johnson expressed his interest in Amegadjie from the previous draft, when he was still part of the Detroit Lions coaching staff.

“I liked Kiran a lot coming out last year,” Johnson said that April. “He was a guy we had earmarked as a potential developmental prospect. He had a lot of traits to work with. I don’t know if the vision last year in Chicago was for him to have to play so quickly. But they were kind of forced into that spot.”

GM Ryan Poles saw something in Amegadjie to take him in Round 3 coming out of Yale. The front office liked what Amegadjie put on tape against the Washington Commanders in 2024 before he had the difficult situation of having to start last minute at the Minnesota Vikings.

It could be just Friday’s plan, and maybe Braxton Jones — who was next in line for snaps Friday — or Jedrick Wills Jr. gets the shot Saturday. As with all things in the trenches, clarity will come in padded practices, but practice No. 3 was a reminder not to rule Amegadjie out just yet.

Player in the spotlight: LT Braxton Jones

Jones played a couple of snaps with the starters earlier in practice. He reiterated Friday that his physical comfort is “night and day” compared to last summer.

Coming off a 2024 ankle injury, Jones was never fully healthy last training camp, even when he entered the season as the starting left tackle. He lost the job to Theo Benedet in Week 4, who eventually ceded it to Ozzy Trapilo, and Jones later went to IR.

“It’s really hard. If you’ve really dealt with one of these injuries, it’s really significant like this, it’s really a mental thing,” Jones said about his battles last year. “Like, yes, my leg wasn’t strong enough, but the mental part of it was worse than anything.”

Jones has always been open about struggling against power in the pass rush, and he said working with retired All-Pro Terron Armstead, who played for offensive line coach Dan Roushar, has helped him improve that element of his game.

Armstead also helped Jones get back to playing free after the injuries.

“One of my biggest things with Terron is just he allowed me that space to gain that confidence back,” Jones said. “I talked about the muscle mind and gaining that back, realizing I did have some of that power in the leg. I just wasn’t connecting it, trusting it. Working with him really gave me that life.”

Pressing question

When will Darnell Wright’s extension get done?

The fourth-year right tackle seemed unconcerned about his contract situation or the negotiations going on between his agents and the Bears.

“My main focus really is just football. Being as best as I can be for the team,” Wright said. “Obviously, I know I’ll be here for a long time, hopefully my whole career. Those things kind of just handle themselves, but I just have to stay focused on the main things. That’s just getting better, consistency every day.”

Wright reiterated that he plans to be a Bear “for a long time,” and that it “doesn’t really matter” when a deal gets done.

Poles recently alluded to the goal of getting a deal done before games begin, to avoid distractions. Since the beginning of training camps, the Eagles extended defensive tackle Jalen Carter, selected one pick before Wright, while the Saints extended wide receiver Chris Olave, drafted in 2022.

A second-team All-Pro last year, Wright could be looking at the top of the right tackle market. Vikings right tackle Brian O’Neill just inked an extension averaging $24 million per year, $1 million shy of Lane Johnson. O’Neill is a two-time Pro Bowler.

Keep an eye on: Running back Salvon Ahmed

Ahmed hasn’t played in an NFL game since 2023. He went on IR last August as a member of the Indianapolis Colts. With second-year back Kyle Monangai out for the second day in a row, Ahmed took the second-team reps.

On his first handoff, Ahmed cut back to the left and found lots of room to run, taking off for an explosive play and drawing a big cheer from fans. Monangai will be the No. 2 to D’Andre Swift, but if Ahmed runs well and proves himself on special teams, could he challenge Roschon Johnson for the No. 3 role?

Quote of note

“We’re the No. 1 regression candidate so … I think we’ve got plenty of motivation ourselves. We talked about Caleb (Williams) in the past. He’s used to handling a lot of attention, so I’m not worried about that.” — Coach Johnson

Jacksonville Jaguars coach Liam Coen quipped about how no one’s talking about the Jaguars, yet the Bears’ quarterback is all over NFL coverage. Williams reposted the clip, and Johnson was asked about it Friday.

For a coach to publicly acknowledge the regression discussion is something, and it was a fair retort. Johnson is also confident Williams isn’t fazed by any of this. As seen by how he reacted on social media, he seems to get a kick out of it.

Quick hits

• Tight end Colston Loveland was featured often Friday. He made four catches during the end-of-half drill, including the touchdown to end it. He also caught a big pass over linebacker Devin Bush on a play-action throw from Williams and hauled in a 4-yard touchdown during red-zone drills.

• Backup quarterback Tyson Bagent had one of the best plays of the morning with a back-shoulder throw to Jahdae Walker, who adjusted well to haul it in. The two connected shortly thereafter on a play-action pass for a first down.

• Rome Odunze made one of the best catches of the day, skying to high-point a pass from Williams over the middle.

• Cornerback Jaylon Johnson scored the first interception of Williams this training camp, picking him off in seven-on-seven drills.

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