5 Standouts from Chicago Bears Family Fest
The starters, such as quarterback Caleb Williams, wide receivers Rome Odunze and DJ Moore, and defensive linemen Grady Jarrett and Montez Sweat, will hone their skills as they adjust to a new system. Rookies such as tight end Colston Loveland, receiver Luther Burden III, tackle Ozzy Trapilo, and defensive tackle Shemar Turner will look to hit the ground running ahead of their first season. And depth players like offensive lineman Doug Kramer, defensive end Dominique Robinson, and safety Jonathan Owens will try and hang on to a roster spot with competition nipping at their heels.
Following every Bears' training camp practice, we at Bears Wire will highlight a select number of players who stood out during the day. The Bears ventured to Soldier Field for their annual Family Fest and had what many described as a sloppy practice. Here are the players who stood out on the lakefront:
1. QB Tyson Bagent
The Bears' starting offense was lacking for much of the day, but the reserves had a few big plays led by quarterback Tyson Bagent. The third-year backup threw a couple of touchdowns while working with the backups, including a long strike to wide receiver JP Richardson. Bagent found Richardson in the middle of the field with tight coverage for about 20 yards, and the rookie took the ball another 30 yards for the score. Bagent had another touchdown, this time to tight end Durham Smythe, as he fooled almost the entire defense with play action, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. Bagent has had a nice camp up to this point and should see plenty of time during next weekend's preseason game against the Miami Dolphins.
2. TE Colston Loveland
Colston Loveland is becoming a mainstay in this series, but for good reason. The rookie tight end continues to flash when given opportunities, and he did it again in front of 27,000 fans at Soldier Field. Near the end of practice, the Bears were lined up just outside the end zone. Loveland ran up five yards and put safety Jaquan Brisker on skates with an impressive move to cut inside, where Williams placed a perfect ball for the touchdown. It's a route many tight ends aren't able to pull off as smoothly as Loveland did, let alone other rookies. It's another example of how dangerous he can be and what the Bears are getting with their first-round pick.
3. TEs Cole Kmet
While Loveland has been showing out over the last week, don't forget about Cole Kmet and what he brings to the table. Kmet had a score of his own, coming off a nifty design from Johnson. Williams and the offense executed play action off a jet sweep, which fooled the entire defense. Kmet ran an underneath route and connected with Williams with ease as rookie running back Kyle Monangai was set up as a lead blocker. The play worked to perfection as Kmet went into the end zone untouched for about 25 yards and finished with his signature home run celebration. Kmet is excellent as an underneath tight end and will still get plenty of looks in this offense despite Loveland's presence.
4. DT Gervon Dexter
The entire starting defensive line stood out on Sunday, as noted by CHSN's Alex Shapiro. However, only one player caused a safety. Defensive tackle Gervon Dexter made arguably the defensive play of the day when he swallowed up running back D'Andre Swift in the end zone. The offense was pinned deep in their own end zone, and Dexter blew past center Drew Dalman to stop Swift in his tracks. It may have been a poorly executed play by the offense, but give Dexter credit for making one of the biggest defensive plays of the day.
5. K Cairo Santos
Unless there is a true kicking competition taking place at training camp, kickers are often ignored during practices. But veteran Cairo Santos deserves praise for how he performed at Soldier Field on Sunday, a place that we all know is not easy to kick in. Santos drilled all five of his field goal attempts, according to Bears reporter Larry Mayer. His longest make was from 53 yards, which is one yard shy of his longest field goal from the 2024 season. While Santos does have competition with rookie Jonathan Kim, it would be a surprise to see him cut from the team. For what it's worth, Kim converted three of four field goals.
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