The Bears are about to step into a different kind of preseason test, and this one carries more weight than the exhibition game that follows. Chicago’s joint practice with the Bengals gives the team a real chance to work its starters against another defense, especially since the Bears most likely won’t play them in the Week 2 preseason game.
That makes this session the main attraction for fans trying to read the tea leaves in camp. It’s the first real opportunity since training camp opened for Chicago to get meaningful work in a controlled setting against a different opponent.
There are a few injury situations worth keeping an eye on before the Bears and Bengals get going. Cincinnati had three players working on the rehab field during Tuesday’s practice. As Bengals on SI’s Russell Heltman reported, "Dax Hill, Bryan Cook and Shemar Stewart were all on the Bengals' rehab practice field getting work in together on Tuesday while the rest of the team went through a normal session."
Chicago has had some encouraging updates of its own since the 34-10 preseason win over the Cleveland Browns. Montez Sweat, Braxton Jones, Ozzy Trapilo, and rookie Zavion Thomas have all returned to practice. Trapilo, though, is still expected to be brought along slowly and most likely won’t take part in the joint practice.
The Bears also have a couple of absences that matter more right now. Running back Kyle Monangai is out for the rest of the month and could miss time into the start of 2026 because of his injury. Backup quarterback Tyson Bagent hasn’t been practicing after the injury he suffered against the Browns, and his status for the Bengals preseason game is in jeopardy, which makes it unlikely he’ll be on the field for the joint session.
The biggest draw, though, is the quarterback matchup that finally gives fans a look at Caleb Williams and Joe Burrow in the same setting. Williams is coming off a career season and has his sights set on an MVP-type year in 2026. Burrow, despite missing about half the season with injury, is chasing the same award and wants to get Cincinnati back to the Super Bowl for the first time in four years.
That’s part of what makes this practice so appealing: last season, when the Bears beat the Bengals 47-42, Burrow did not play and Joe Flacco started in his place. This time, Williams and Burrow will actually be on the field together.
There’s another wrinkle, too. Bears offensive coordinator Press Taylor will be working against his brother, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor. They’re not brothers and enemies in the long-term sense, but for this week, they’ll be on opposite sides trying to outmaneuver each other.
The Bears and Bengals will meet at the Kettering Health Practice Fields in Cincinnati, and the session will not be open to the public. After that, they’ll play the preseason game on Saturday at Paycor Stadium.
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Garrett Bradbury is the player most likely to be measured against those concerns, because he came in expected to hold down the starting center job and bring stability to the middle of the line. Instead, a practice that should have helped settle the offense also reopened questions about whether Chicago has enough certainty there, especially after a day when the pressure came more frequently than the Bears would have liked. [Read more 🡒]
Ben Johnson Is Zeroing In On Caleb Williams Biggest Limiter
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It is a familiar tradeoff for a young quarterback with big arm talent: play aggressively and keep the offense dangerous, or play safer and leave potential on the field. Johnson has stressed that balance in practice, and for Chicago that focus matters because the Bears are trying to build an attack that can stress defenses without sacrificing the kind of accuracy that makes the whole thing work. [Read more 🡒]