Speed bump: Bryant’s knee injury puts damper on Bears’ first padded practice

This could have been a day to celebrate the infusion of speed to the Bears’ roster.

During Monday's first practice in full pads, several receivers hauled in long touchdown passes during a one-on-one segment.

Unfortunately, the big news of the day happened on the adjacent practice field, during tight end vs. safety one-on-one drills. Safety Coby Bryant got tangled up with Cole Kmet, according to witnesses, went to the ground, slammed his helmet to the turf and was driven off the field on a golf cart with a knee injury.

Injury updates don’t always happen quickly during training camp, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported bad news. Bryant is expected to miss 8-10 weeks due to a hyperextended knee, bone bruise and small fracture. No surgery is expected, according to the report.

If this holds true, Bryant could return in mid-October and play the majority of the season.

Cornerback Tyrique Stevenson was on the other field working against the wide receivers, so he didn't even know about the injury until everyone got together for 7-on-7.

“Definitely praying for (Bryant) to be back out there tomorrow,” Stevenson said after practice. “He's come in here with the juice. He's just a spark plug and he's bringing that energy and he's won at the highest level.”

The Bears defense was light on reinforcements to begin with, and Bryant was a centerpiece of the offseason, signing as a free agent after winning the Super Bowl with Seattle. He delivered the best play of practice Saturday with a diving interception of a deep ball over the middle.

The Bears might try to add a player to the back line and figure out the salary-cap implications along the way.

When the defense took the field for 11 vs. 11 on Monday, Cam Lewis was in Bryant's spot at free safety, with Jaylon Jones at nickel. Lewis, a free-agent addition from Buffalo, was also a candidate to fill in for Kyler Gordon at nickel.

Gervarrius Owens also saw reps at safety. He's a fourth-year pro, light on game experience, who finished last season on the Bears practice squad.

Before Monday's practice, head coach Ben Johnson mentioned the increased horsepower as a highlight of the opening week. Bryant and linebacker Devin Bush represent the additional speed on defense, with slot receivers Kalif Raymond and Zavion Thomas also opening eyes.

“I was happy with the first four days,” Johnson said. “I think the team speed is what showed up more than anything. Both sides of the ball, we've got some guys that can run and they're doing a really good job of that right now.”

There were several long touchdown wins for the receivers in Monday's one-on-ones. Thomas beat corner Terrell Smith, who seemed to be limping after the play and left practice. Raymond caught a deep ball against Jaylon Johnson, Jahdae Walker blew past Jones with ease, and Luther Burden wrestled a tough catch away from Stevenson.

Stevenson joked later about the unfair advantages of one-on-one pass routes.

“Always. Any release, any tempo, no rush, quarterback not going nowhere,” Stevenson said. “Sometimes, game on the line, it comes down to one-on-one. A perfect throw beats perfect coverage every time.”

Some additional practice observations:

∙ In the linemen one-on-ones, the defense didn't generate much pressure against the first team offensive line. At left tackle, Braxton Jones went 2-0 in reps against Austin Booker and Daniel Hardy, then Kiran Amegadjie went 0-2 against the same pair.

∙ The offense didn't look all that sharp in 11 vs. 11. The longest play was a medium deep throw over the middle, where Colston Loveland bounced off a tackle and ran a long way. Anthony Johnson Jr. had just stepped in at free safety before that play.

∙ Running back Salvon Ahmed continued to impress, with two long gains Monday, on a run and screen pass, and figures to be a strong candidate to get preseason carries. After four seasons with the Dolphins through 2023, Ahmed hasn't played in any games the past two years. He spent time on Denver's practice squad, then signed with the Colts last year and was sidelined by an ankle injury.

∙ Lake Zurich native Jack Sanborn continues to get heavy reps with the first-team defense at linebacker alongside Bush. T.J. Edwards is out with an injury, while D'Marco Jackson has been in and out of the lineup.

∙ After sitting out a couple days, running back Kyle Monangai was back on the field Monday. He's dealing with a soft-tissue concern, according to Johnson.

mmcgraw@dailyherald.com