Bears training camp: Wright leaves with apparent elbow injuries, and a look at new threads
Bears right tackle Darnell Wright exited practice Tuesday at Halas Hall with an apparent right elbow injury.
Wright left with the trainers after taking a snap in a red-zone period with quarterback Caleb Williams and the starting offense. He appeared to be dealing with discomfort in the same elbow he injured last year. The 25-year-old has worn a massive brace on his right elbow since tearing his ulnar collateral ligament last year in Week 3 against the Dallas Cowboys.
Trainers worked on Wright’s elbow for several minutes Tuesday before he walked back into the team’s training facility. Theo Benedet entered the drill in Wright’s spot at right tackle.
Wright signed a four-year, $116 million contract this month with $93 million guaranteed — a record for guaranteed money for an offensive lineman. The No. 10 pick in the 2023 draft, Wright is a big part of the young core that coach Ben Johnson and general manager Ryan Poles are building on offense.
Wright has missed only two games in his three-year NFL career. After tearing his UCL last season, he sat out the Week 4 win over the Las Vegas Raiders before returning for Week 6 after the team’s bye.
The injury typically would require Tommy John ligament replacement surgery for a baseball pitcher, but Wright doesn’t have to throw 100 mph fastballs. He elected not to have surgery on the elbow last fall, instead wearing the brace and allowing the injury to scar over.
Defensive tackle Gervon Dexter Sr., undrafted rookie tight end Hayden Large and cornerback Dontae Manning also exited practice early.
Here’s what else stood out Tuesday at Halas Hall.
Caleb Williams watch
Williams had an uneven practice, but it’s not entirely on him. Early in Tuesday’s session, the ball was set at the offense’s 1-yard line and it struggled to get out of the hole.
Williams missed out of bounds on a throw to Rome Odunze on first-and-10, and a strike to Jahdae Walker glanced off the receiver’s fingertips on second-and-10.
He then connected deep middle to Odunze in front of safeties Dillon Thieneman and Cam Lewis on a play that would have extended between 30 and 35 yards, with the defenders restricted in how they tackle during camp.
During 7-on-7, Williams looked for tight end Colston Loveland a couple of times, but those passes were broken up by linebacker Devin Bush and Thieneman, who dived to bat down the ball.
On third-and-1 during a red-zone drill, Williams hit Odunze, who pulled down a contested catch over cornerback Tyrique Stevenson for a touchdown.
There were a couple of near interceptions, a delay-of-game penalty and the “long drive” session wasn’t all that efficient, but Williams otherwise ran a clean operation.
“(His) operation in the huddle just continues to get better and better,” tight end Cole Kmet said. “You can tell his rapport with Coach (Johnson) has grown so much since a year ago. So you’re seeing that growth in the huddle each and every day.”
Player in the spotlight: TE Cole Kmet
Kmet’s role as a pass catcher diminished after the Bears drafted Loveland last year and Johnson diversified the aerial attack. Kmet’s targets have dropped from 90 to 55 to 48 over the last three seasons, and his catch percentage was a career low 62.5% last year.
Offensive coordinator Press Taylor said the seventh-year veteran has the “right stuff” for the role.
“He can do anything we ask,” Taylor said earlier this month. “He can line up at fullback, he can be in line, he can motion out, he can play in space. And he’s been a great role model for Colston, for Sam (Roush), but also just our entire offense.”
Kmet said Tuesday that “it’s all about winning, so whatever we’ve got to do to win.”
“If that means catching six, seven balls a game, I’m all for it,” he said. “If that means I’ve got to be a guy in pass (protection) … and be a main focus in the run game, I’m all for that as well. So it’s not that hard when the main goal here is to win.”
Quote of note
“He’s a beast,” Johnson said about rookie defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg.
Van den berg has stood out in camp for his one-on-one battles with offensive linemen and willingness to get into scraps up to and after the whistle.
Johnson perked up when his name was mentioned.
“This guy … he’s an incredible athlete,” he said. “He’s still learning the game of football to a degree, and yet it’s amazing what he brings to the table. He’s been the same guy every single day. Smile on his face. He loves football. He loves the process.
“I haven’t seen it yet, but someone told me he was mic’d up in that first (preseason) game, and he’s coming to the sideline, he’s talking to Grady (Jarrett) about the things that are happening on the field. Grady’s helping him, giving him tidbits here and there. It’s a good thing to see right now. He’s firmly in the mix.”
Seen and heard
• Backup quarterback Tyson Bagent was back at practice for the first time in a week. Bagent has been dealing with a hamstring injury since the preseason opener against the Cleveland Browns on Aug. 15.
On his first attempt during a third-down period, Bagent nearly threw an interception. Manning and safety Xavier Woods both had a chance to pick off the pass intended for Walker, but neither could haul it in and it fell incomplete.
Bagent’s second pass to Scotty Miller was off the mark, but he got back on track with a completion to Maurice Alexander on the next play.
• Braxton Jones continued to get the first looks at left tackle with the starters. In a one-on-one drill between the offensive and defensive linemen, Jones seemed to hold his own on one rush by Montez Sweat.
Before he got hurt, Wright held off Dayo Odeyingbo in a one-on-one. Benedet, at right tackle, staved off a rush from Jamree Kromah.
• At one point during a long, physical practice, cornerback Jaylon Johnson brought the offense and defense together for a brief huddle.
“(He) felt like it wasn’t good enough,” Lewis said of the message from the two-time Pro Bowl corner. “I agree it wasn’t to our standard. You want to win the division back-to-back years, you’re the hunted now. What we did in the first half of the practice wasn’t to our standards, so we brought it up. Told the guys that and we moved on.”
Later in practice, Woods and reserve running back Salvon Ahmed got into a shoving match and had to be separated by teammates.
“I really don’t care for it, honestly,” Lewis said. “Do what you need to do in between the whistles, be physical there, play nasty there, play violent there. When the whistle blows, it’s done. But if it gets to that point, you know, defend yourself. Stick up for yourself.”
• During the “long drive” period, the ball was placed at the offense’s 15-yard line and it had to operate with pumped-in crowd noise. Neither side of the ball was happy about sloppy moments.
“Yeah, it sucks,” Kmet said with a laugh. “It just comes down to how do you execute when you’re tired and when you don’t feel like going. … You can see younger players who do that for the first time, like, they struggle just because they’ve got so much going on in their head already. And then you add fatigue to the situation, (it) just makes it that much more difficult.”
Speaking for the defense, Lewis said, “We sucked.”
“First play of it, we gave up an 8- or 9-yard gain (by D’Andre Swift) right up the middle,” he said. “We had a couple (missed assignments) on the pressure. … We just didn’t get it done. A lot of big plays.”
Kmet admitted the simulated crowd noise was a factor.
“It’s like the most annoying noise there is,” he said. “I don’t know if any fans sound like that in any other stadium I’ve been in, but it definitely bugs you in the huddle and when you’re communicating at the line of scrimmage, so it’s good work for us.”
New threads
The Bears revealed their new Rivalries uniforms, which they will wear on Christmas Day against the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field. The uniforms honor multiple eras of Bears football and also give a nod to George Halas’ alma mater, the University of Illinois, which was Halas’ original inspiration for the team’s blue-and-orange color scheme.
The Rivalries jerseys are navy blue with orange numerals outlined in white, while the pants are orange with navy and white stripes. The helmet is orange with the navy “C” logo outlined in white. The helmet also has “BEARS” on the front above the facemask and the four stars of the Chicago flag on the back.
The chest of the jersey features the original “GSH” patch — with the “H” featured prominently in the middle — that the team wore in 1983 to honor Halas after he died.
“We are proud to add to the treasured history and tradition of the Chicago Bears with the unveiling of our Rivalries uniform,” Bears director of equipment Tony Medlin said in a statement. “It is an honor to work for, and help represent, the Chicago Bears.”
The NFL is in its second of a four-year collaboration with Nike on the Rivalries uniforms. In 2026, each team in the NFC North and AFC South will wear Rivalries uniforms inspired by their history and team heritage.
Injuries and participation
The Bears activated safety Elijah Hicks (left shin) and linebacker Keyshaun Elliott (back) from the physically unable to perform list. They placed linebacker Nephi Sewell, who injured his right knee in Saturday’s preseason game in Cincinnati, on injured reserve. They also signed linebacker Antonio Grier, who most recently played for the UFL’s Louisville Kings.
Offensive lineman Luke Newman (foot) and cornerback Jaylon Jones (ankle) returned to practice after missing time.
The Bears were without wide receiver Luther Burden III (groin), running back Kyle Monangai (right knee), linebackers Tony Fields II (undisclosed) and Ruben Hyppolite II (undisclosed) and defensive end Austin Booker (undisclosed). Veteran defensive end Marcus Davenport, whom the team signed last week, has yet to practice.
Three players remain on the PUP list: cornerback Kyler Gordon (calf), linebacker Noah Sewell (Achilles tendon) and defensive lineman Shemar Turner (knee).