The Bears conducted their 29th and final training camp practice Thursday at Halas Hall, a padded workout that was open to the media. Here's what transpired:
Cornerback Tyrique Stevenson stood out, registering an interception in the back of the end zone and breaking up a pass intended for receiver Velus Jones Jr.
Quarterback Caleb Williams' most impressive completions were to receivers DJ Moore, Tyler Scott and DeAndre Carter and tight end Gerald Everett.
Backup quarterback Tyson Bagent threw touchdown passes on back-to-back plays in a red zone drill to receiver Collin Johnson and Scott.
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Roster Moves
The Bears made six moves involving their practice squad, signing long snapper Scott Daly, guard Chris Glaser, defensive tackle Sam Roberts and receiver Samori Toure and releasing defensive tackle Dashaun Mallory and safety Quindell Johnson.
Daly is a Chicago area native who attended Downers Grove South High School, where he was named national high school long snapper of the year. He joins the Bears after appearing in 42 games the past three seasons with the Lions.
Daly entered the NFL with the Cowboys in 2018 as an undrafted free agent from Notre Dame. He has since also played in the Alliance of American Football with the San Antonio Commanders and in the XFL with the New York Guardians.
Daly spent time in practice working with holder Tory Taylor and kicker Cairo Santos.
"We like him a lot," special teams coordinator Richard Hightower said of Daly. "Played against him a ton. Veteran. Snaps a really good ball. Really, in our personal opinion, he's one of the 32 (best long snappers) in the league. Now it's all about Cairo and Tory developing that relationship and that bond together, because that's a critical piece of our teams because it deals with points, and points are how you win games. So those three will develop that relationship and try to put points on the board for our team."
Hightower isn't expecting Daly, Taylor and Santos to develop instant chemistry.
"It's something we're going to have to work on," Hightower said. "It is extremely challenging. I'm not going to sugarcoat it. A lot of people think that you just snap, hold, kick, and the ball goes through the uprights. But there are a lot of different things that play into that: the laces, the lean on the ball, the wind.
"How you tilt the ball can change the direction and the flight pattern of the ball. How you snap it can change that. How you hold the ball can change that. The steps in the kicker's operation can change that. So it's something we are going to have to work through. And we feel great about it. We feel great that we were able to get Scott. And they're going to work good together. We're excited about it."
Daly was signed one day after the Bears placed veteran long snapper Patrick Scales on injured reserve.
"Patrick Scales is an outstanding human being, and I'd be remiss if I didn't say that," Hightower said. "He's outstanding. He's the glue in that room, honestly. So he will be missed. But this is pro football. And Pat wants us to go forward. That was our last conversation I had with Pat. Pat wants nothing but for the unit to look good because he cares so much about the team. That's the kind of teammate he is. He wants to score points and he wants to win. And I want to win. So Pat understands that everyone is still in full support of him as well."
Glaser entered the league with the Chiefs in 2022 as an undrafted free agent from Virginia but was released and joined the Jets. He also spent time on the Cowboys practice squad in 2023 before making his NFL debut in a second stint with the Jets, playing in five games with one start.
Roberts was selected by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2022 draft out of Northwest Missouri State, where he was named the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association defensive player of the year in 2021. He appeared in 12 games with one start the past two seasons for New England, recording seven tackles.
Toure was chosen by the Packers in the seventh round of the 2022 draft out of Nebraska. He played in 22 games with two starts the past two seasons with Green Bay, catching 13 passes for 160 yards and one touchdown.
Hitting a Homer
Hightower is thrilled to be able to coach special teams standout Travis Homer in Chicago. In 2019, Hightower was the 49ers special teams coordinator when Homer was selected by the Seahawks in the sixth round of the draft.
"Travis was my favorite running back coming out the year that he came out," Hightower said. "He was the No. 1 player overall on my board for special teams. It just so happens he went to the division I was in at the time."
In his first season with the Bears last year, Homer tied for the team lead with seven special teams tackles.
"Travis is dependable," Hightower said. "He sits in the front of the room. He's sharp. He always asks questions. And then he's a really good teammate, because he always talks to the other guys because he's the commander and basically like one of the captains of the special teams. He's basically the quarterback of the punt team because he's the personal protector. He's big, he's fast, he's physical and he's quick and he's super smart. We're really fortunate to have Travis. We're going to depend on him a lot."
