4 Standouts from Day 8 of Chicago Bears training camp
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. Thursday's practice was the longest and most intense yet by design from Johnson. Many players rose to his challenge and made big plays:
1. WR Luther Burden III
This is officially the Luther Burden week, as the rookie wide receiver keeps making play after play on the practice field. Burden followed up his best practice of camp with an even better outing. He caught passes all over the field, whether it was in 1-on-1 drills, 7-on-7s, or 11-on-11s. Burden was everywhere, catching short passes underneath and deep balls with tight coverage. As Marquee Sports Network's Scott Bair notes, Burden caught five passes, including two deep ones. The more reps Burden gets, the more comfortable he looks in the offense and with his quarterback. The leg injury that sidelined him for the first week doesn't seem to be a concern anymore, and Burden is ingratiating himself into the receiver rotation quickly.
2. WR Olamide Zaccheaus
While Burden has been exploding as of late, veteran receiver Olamide Zaccheaus has been a steady option for the Bears offense throughout camp. Zaccheaus always seems to be in the right spot and has been a nice safety blanket during passing downs. He still has big-play potential, however. One of the best throws Williams made on Thursday was a scramble where he found Zaccheaus wide open downfield. The veteran was able to hurry into the end zone for the score. It was one of the biggest plays of camp for Zaccheaus, and he has been showing up every day since practices began.
3. QB Caleb Williams
Williams is starting to string together solid practices, and by most accounts, he had his best one of camp on Thursday. The former No. 1 overall pick was spreading the ball all over, finding many different receivers to keep drives alive. Of course, Burden and Zaccheaus were heavily involved, but Williams also had good connections with Moore, Odunze, Cole Kmet, and Miles Boykin. As Greg Braggs Jr. of CHGO states, the quarterback was dialed in. It wasn't perfect, as the two-minute offense could have been better, but Williams is steadily improving under Johnson this camp after a shaky start.
4. DE Montez Sweat
The offense was the story for much of Thursday's practice, but the defense still had their moments to shine. Namely, it was Montez Sweat who was breaking through the offensive line to put pressure on the quarterback. Sweat had a couple of instances where he beat the blocker to get into the backfield and would have come down with a sack near the end of practice. With the pads on, the defensive linemen can get more work in, and Sweat is doing just that against an improved offensive line.
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: 4 Standouts from Day 8 of Chicago Bears training camp
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