It was a quick turnaround for the Chicago Bears. One day after opening the preseason with a 24-24 tie against the Miami Dolphins at Soldier Field, the Bears were back on the practice field Monday at Halas Hall.

Most of the starters didn’t play Sunday, so Monday’s practice was designed specifically for them to see action. Thirty-four players participated in practice, including starting quarterback Caleb Williams.

Here’s what happened Monday afternoon in Lake Forest.

Caleb Williams watch

With no second- or third-team reps, practice went a little over an hour. More than half of the 90-man roster wasn’t present, the typical thumping music was lowered and no fans were in attendance.

The vibe was certainly different.

The first-team offense didn’t have its best afternoon. In both a situational drill and a red zone drill, the football hit the ground far more than the offense would’ve liked.

In an end-of-half situation, with the offense trailing by three points and the ball near midfield, Williams and the starters picked up one first down before the drive stalled out. Williams connected with tight end Cole Kmet for a short gain near the sideline, then found wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus over the middle for a first down.

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams throws the ball to Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet before the start of a preseason game against the Miami Dolphins at Soldier Field on Aug. 10, 2025, in Chicago. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)

After a timeout, linebacker T.J. Edwards blew up the first-down play with a blitz through the middle and Williams was forced to throw the ball away. On the next play, cornerback Nahshon Wright broke up a second-down pass over the middle. On third-and-10, Williams and wide receiver Rome Odunze were not on the same page and couldn’t connect on an intermediate throw near the hash marks.

With no special teams units available, the Bears never will know if kicker Cairo Santos would’ve tied the game with a 53-yard field goal.

Braxton Jones, who played 24 snaps in Sunday’s game, played left tackle Monday. Rookie Ozzy Trapilo, who played 37 snaps Sunday, had the day off.

Asked about the general progress of the offense through almost three weeks of training camp, wide receiver DJ Moore indicated he’s not worried.

“It always feels bad when we’re out there, but when we look at the tape, it says a different story,” Moore said. “Everybody wants to chase perfection and that’s what we’re doing.”

Moore, Williams and the starters also worked out before Sunday’s preseason game. They ran routes with coach Ben Johnson directing for nearly an hour before pregame warmups.

Preseason photos: Chicago Bears tie Miami Dolphins 24-24 at Soldier Field

Yes, the routes had no defenders present, but the length of the workout was perhaps more taxing than playing a handful of snaps in a preseason game. At least that’s how the Bears are framing it.

“A lot of times those guys go to the game and they’re kind of just hanging out,” offensive coordinator Declan Doyle said. “They were able to get a lot of quality work in, a lot of quality reps, just working through that mental side of the game as well as the physical part.”

Quote of note

“The biggest thing is the guys who didn’t play in the game or guys who played limited reps, they’re going out and having a good work day,” Doyle said when asked about practicing the day after a game. “It’s kind of what I’ve been exposed to around Sean Payton the last six years. We always practiced the day after a game, and I think it actually goes back to Bill Parcells.”

Player in the spotlight

Chicago Bears linebacker Noah Sewell (44) and safety Jonathan Owens (36) bring down Miami Dolphins running back Jaylen Wright (5) short of the goal line in the first quarter during a preseason game at Soldier Field on Aug. 10, 2025, in Chicago. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)

Linebacker Noah Sewell was one of the biggest winners during Sunday’s game. He was involved in five tackles on the opening drive, including a big tackle for a loss on fourth-and-goal from the 1.

“Shoot, there were quite a few opportunities on that drive to help the defense get off (the field),” Sewell said Monday. “But when it came down to that goal line, that opportunity popped up and I just had to maximize that.”

The third-year linebacker out of Oregon believes he has had good and bad moments throughout training camp.

Since the Bears drafted him with a fifth-round pick in 2023, Sewell has been a special teams contributor but hasn’t really carved out much of a role on defense. The team let third linebacker Jack Sanborn walk away in free agency, which opened an opportunity for Sewell to claim a more prominent role on defense. Rookie Ruben Hyppolite II is also in the mix for that spot.

Seen and heard

After watching the tape, Doyle said he saw things for both left tackles — Jones and Trapilo — to work on. Trapilo wound up playing more in the game, but the offense also went three-and-out on two of Jones’ possessions to start the game. Notably, Jones is getting the first reps at this point.

For Doyle, it’s pretty simple what will make one stand out over the other.

Preseason starts with a tie: Brad Biggs’ 10 thoughts on the Chicago Bears’ 1st look of 2025

“The tape doesn’t lie,” he said. “It will become clearer and clearer as time goes on that one of those guys is going to separate themselves in the eyes of the decision makers, of Ben, of our front office, of the O-line coaches, of myself. But (it’s an) incomplete evaluation thus far. We still have a lot of football left to play.”

Doyle said he’s excited to see those two go up against Buffalo’s edge defenders when the Bills come to town for a joint practice Friday.

Injury and participation report

Although much of the team didn’t practice, it was notable that offensive tackle Kiran Amegadjie (leg) and interior offensive lineman Bill Murray (ankle) were back on the practice field.

In transaction news, the Bears signed running back Brittain Brown and waived defensive back Ameer Speed with an injury designation. Brown spent most of last season on the Seattle Seahawks’ practice squad. He has appeared in six career NFL games.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/08/11/chicago-bears-training-camp-starters/