Close Menu
  • Home
  • News
    • Local
  • Opinion
  • Business
  • Health
  • Education
  • Sports
  • Podcast

Subscribe to Updates

Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business.

What's Hot

The Shutdown Standoff

Obama Fills the Void in a Fading Democratic Party

Sean “Diddy” Combs Sentenced to 50 Months as Court Weighs Acquitted Charges

Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
  • Lifestyle
  • Podcast
  • Contact Us
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest Vimeo
The Windy City Word
  • Home
  • News
    1. Local
    2. View All

    Youth curfew vote stalled in Chicago City Council’s public safety committee

    Organizers, CBA Coalition pushback on proposed luxury hotel near Obama Presidential Center

    New petition calls for state oversight and new leadership at Roseland Community Hospital

    UFC Gym to replace shuttered Esporta in Morgan Park

    HBCU Football Week 5 Roundup: Jackson State keeps the Good Times Rolling

    Unbreakable: Black Women and Mental Health

    A Question of a Government Shutdown?

    Jackson State Dominates Southern on the Road, Wins Boombox Classic

  • Opinion

    Capitalize on Slower Car Dealership Sales in 2025

    The High Cost Of Wealth Worship

    What Every Black Child Needs in the World

    Changing the Game: Westside Mom Shares Bally’s Job Experience with Son

    The Subtle Signs of Emotional Abuse: 10 Common Patterns

  • Business

    Illinois Department of Innovation & Technology supplier diversity office to host procurement webinar for vendors

    Crusader Publisher host Ukrainian Tech Businessmen eyeing Gary investment

    Sims applauds $220,000 in local Back to Business grants

    New Hire360 partnership to support diversity in local trades

    Taking your small business to the next level

  • Health

    Unbreakable: Black Women and Mental Health

    A Question of a Government Shutdown?

    Democrats Dig In: Healthcare at the Center of Looming Shutdown Fight

    Democrats Dig In: Healthcare at the Center of Looming Shutdown Fight

    COMMENTARY: Health Care is a Civil Rights Issue

  • Education

    Alabama’s CHOOSE Act: A Promise and a Responsibility

    After Plunge, Black Students Enroll in Harvard

    What Is Montessori Education?

    Nation’s Report Card Shows Drop in Reading, Math, and Science Scores

    The Lasting Impact of Bedtime Stories

  • Sports

    HBCU Football Week 5 Roundup: Jackson State keeps the Good Times Rolling

    Jackson State Dominates Southern on the Road, Wins Boombox Classic

    Conference Commissioners Discuss Name, Image, and Likeness in Washington

    Week 4 HBCU Football Recap: DeSean Jackson’s Delaware State Wins Big

    Turning the Tide: Unity, History, and the Future of College Football in Mississippi

  • Podcast
The Windy City Word
Sports

4 things we learned at Chicago Bears OTAs, including Braxton Jones taking 1st-team reps and Kyler Gordon’s absence

staffBy staffUpdated:No Comments5 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Telegram LinkedIn Tumblr Email Reddit
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest WhatsApp Email

Notice: Trying to get property 'post_title' of non-object in /home/ofzfvenynm4q/public_html/wp-content/plugins/wp-rss-feed-to-post/includes/wprss-ftp-display.php on line 109

The Chicago Bears were back at practice Wednesday at Halas Hall after the NFL stripped them of Tuesday’s practice for violating league rules that prohibit live contact.

Along with explanations from players and coach Matt Eberflus about those violations, here are four things we heard as the Bears wrap up their third week of organized team activities.

Advertisement

Eberflus said early on that they planned to test players at different spots on the offensive line during offseason practices, and he showed that Wednesday.

The Bears started practices in May with Larry Borom at left tackle and Teven Jenkins on the right side. But Borom, who started eight games at right tackle as a rookie last season, was back on the right side Wednesday. Jenkins, a 2021 second-round pick, took reps at second-team right tackle while Jones got experience with the first team.

Advertisement

Bears tackle Braxton Jones stretches at rookie minicamp at Halas Hall on May 6, 2022, in Lake Forest. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)

“We’re just trying to find the best combinations of people, especially when you’re looking at the offensive line,” Eberflus said. “Who’s the best five guys out there so we can succeed? And it creates competition when you do that, when you’re moving guys around. Who can function at different spots and who can really execute?”

The Bears drafted Jones out of Southern Utah in the fifth round after he started 11 games at left tackle in his final college season.

“Braxton is a tough kid, very athletic,” Bears guard Cody Whitehair said. “He’s got really long arms as well. He’s learning. As hard as that is to be thrown in the fire like that, I feel like he has responded well and I’m excited to see what he can bring.”

[ [Don’t miss] Bears 2022 schedule: Here’s who they’ll play — and our predictions for each matchup ]

Eberflus has been hesitant to provide reasons for individual absences during OTAs, but he did say Gordon was in the building this week.

Safety Eddie Jackson and edge rusher Al-Quadin Muhammad were present at the Walter Payton Center but didn’t participate on the field. Edge rusher Robert Quinn, who has not been spotted during OTAs, again was absent. The Bears have a mandatory minicamp next week.

Image 1 of 11

Meet the Chicago Bears’ 2022 NFL draft class. (Jae C. Hong/AP)

With Gordon out, Jaylon Johnson was back with the first-team defense after Eberflus had played him on the second team two weeks ago. Eberflus said then not to read too much into the grouping.

“We were just assessing him where he was, and he’s done a great job with that,” Eberflus said Wednesday. “He’s learning the defense. It takes him a while to learn the defense because he just was coming in, so that takes a couple of days to figure out: ‘Hey, what is this call? What is that call?’ And he’s done a great job. He played really good today.”

Safety DeAndre Houston-Carson had a pair of interceptions against Fields, including one during a two-minute drill in which Fields’ pass glanced off the hands of wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown. Johnson also had a nice pass breakup.

Advertisement

But Eberflus said it was a different story Monday, when the offense had an “outstanding day” with 11 chunk passes and one chunk run.

[ [Don’t miss] The spring praise for Bears QB Justin Fields is flowing. But how much does it really mean? ]

“That’s going to happen during the course of the game, so we understand that and I’ll talk to the players about this,” Eberflus said. “Sometimes it’s, ‘Hey, that team has a really good offense,’ so our defense is really going to have to step up and play while our offense is going to have to dominate that game or vice versa.”

Jones was upbeat about his first couple of months with the Bears after signing a two-year, $12 million contract to be their three-technique defensive tackle. He is enjoying getting to know a young group of defensive linemen — and he also feels like he fits well within Eberflus’ defense.

“It’s that penetrating three-technique, get off the ball and really just effort,” Jones said. “That’s kind of the staple of my game … flying around, making tackles and making plays and being disruptive. I feel like I fit in. I feel like I’m at home in this scheme.”

Bears defensive lineman Justin Jones stretches April 20, 2022, at Halas Hall in Lake Forest. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)

Eberflus said the Bears had “visual evidence” from Jones’ time with the Los Angeles Chargers that he would fit the role. And Eberflus has been pleased with what he has seen.

“I love the athletic ability, I love the man, I love his attitude,” Eberflus said. “He’s working super hard, and again, the evaluation will continue to go all the way through training camp.

Advertisement

“When we put the pads on, then we get our true evaluation. But where he is right now, we are extremely excited about that.”

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Reddit WhatsApp Telegram Email
Previous ArticleSeeing more West African foods in grocery stores? Thank Hyde Park co-founders of AYO Foods for the shift.
Next Article False alarms
staff

Related Posts

HBCU Football Week 5 Roundup: Jackson State keeps the Good Times Rolling

Jackson State Dominates Southern on the Road, Wins Boombox Classic

Conference Commissioners Discuss Name, Image, and Likeness in Washington

Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

Video of the Week
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AxFXtgzTu4U
Advertisement
Video of the Week
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjfvYnUXHuI
ABOUT US

 

The Windy City Word is a weekly newspaper that projects a positive image of the community it serves. It reflects life on the Greater West Side as seen by the people who live and work here.

OUR PICKS

Ken Martin’s Rise, Trump’s Tariffs & China’s Antitrust Probe into Google

Kevin White’s ‘The Red Room’ is putting the social back in Chicago’s party scene

Vance and Walz Begin Cordially but End in Heated Clashes Over Trump, Jan. 6, and National Policy Issues

MOST POPULAR

Unbreakable: Black Women and Mental Health

A Question of a Government Shutdown?

Democrats Dig In: Healthcare at the Center of Looming Shutdown Fight

© 2025 The Windy City Word. Site Designed by No Regret Medai.
  • Home
  • Lifestyle
  • Podcast
  • Contact Us

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.