Bears and Bengals hold joint training camp practice ahead of preseason game
The Chicago Bears and Cincinnati Bengals completed a joint practice on Thursday, with coaches saying the session will help decide starter participation in Saturday's preseason matchup.
Chicago and Cincinnati met for a joint training-camp practice on Thursday morning, the first time the Bears have faced an outside opponent this year. The session ran from about 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Central and was open to media, allowing observers to gauge each team's progress after several weeks of camp.
Both head coaches indicated the practice would influence roster decisions for the upcoming preseason game on Saturday at 7 p.m. The Bengals' coach, Zac Taylor, said his starters will sit out the game, and Bears coach Ben Johnson added that the joint practice will determine how many starters see action on Saturday.
Throughout the drill, the Bears' interior offensive line struggled, and the unit faced pressure on quarterback Joe Burrow. Defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence was noted as a disruptive presence, while the Bears' defense generated several stops and occasional pressure on the Bengals' offense. Offensive highlights included a tipped pass by Lawrence that was intercepted and a trick-play alert, while the Bengals recorded a low-red-zone touchdown by receiver Tee Higgins.
The practice also featured a number of positional updates, such as Braxton Jones starting at left tackle for Chicago and the return of players like Terell Smith. Both teams used the session to work on special-teams plays and 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 scenarios before concluding the workout.