BOURBONNAIS — The Sun-Times’ Mark Potash breaks down the Bears’ third training-camp practice:
Opening with a thud
The Bears worked out in pads for the first time Sunday, but without the live tackling that was anticipated after coach Matt Nagy promised a physical camp. The “callousing” of the Bears will come, though, he said.
“We have a plan for when we’re going to go live, and it’ll be coming up,” Nagy said. “But for today we just wanted to get them in a ‘thud’ period, get used to hitting and some of the contact, and I think the guys handled it well.”
Kevin White flashes
Besides being injured for most of his three seasons with the Bears, 2015 first-round pick Kevin White also had few “splash” plays in the practices and games he was available for. He had one Sunday, though, albeit against an undrafted free agent — a downfield catch of a Mitch Trubisky deep ball against rookie cornerback John Franklin.
White isn’t lacking for opportunities as Trubisky appears to be making a special effort to get him involved in the passing game. The day wasn’t without disappointment. After breaking free from Prince Amukamara, White was wide open 50 yards downfield but dropped Trubisky’s pass.
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Other observations
• Colin Thompson has a tough challenge to get noticed in a crowded tight-end field, but he made three notable catches.
• Rookie wide receiver Javon Wims made an impression with some athletic moves, including a quick burst up the middle.
• Rookie cornerback Jonathon Mincy had the tough break of the day. He deflected a pass from Tyler Bray to Demarcus Ayers, but Ayers still caught the ball for a big gain.
Up next
8:15 a.m. practice Monday at Olivet Nazarene University.
ICYMI: @MarkPotash and @patrickfinley discuss the Bears' first padded practice under Matt Nagy on Day 4 of camp. https://t.co/7j4xC5sQrz
— Sun-Times Sports (@suntimes_sports) July 22, 2018
Want your Bears training-camp update without delay? Each day of summer practice, Sun-Times Bears beat writers Patrick Finley, Adam Jahns and Mark Potash will share exclusive insights on the workout and interviews in a livestream conversation 1 p.m. daily through Aug. 12. Catch their live analysis and ask questions on Twitter @suntimes_sports or follow Sun-Times Sports on Periscope to be notified of each live report.
