Bears Camp Notebook: Injury Strikes, Swift Eats, and Wright Gets PAID
The Chicago Bears are deep in the grind at Lake Forest, and camp has been equal parts electric and brutal. From a record payday for Darnell Wright to a safety room suddenly running on fumes, here's the freshest intel from the Halas Hall beat.
Sunday's big takeaways
Practice No. 10 moved indoors after lightning, but the intensity stayed white-hot. D'Andre Swift was everywhere — ripping off runs in the four-minute offense, catching passes, even taking a direct snap. If this is what 'year two in the system' looks like for Caleb Williams, the Bears' offense could be scary.
The defense answered, though. Tyrique Stevenson shook off Saturday's nasty fall and picked off Williams on an out route to Rome Odunze. Dennis Allen spent the day dialing up dime packages and pressure looks, sending a clear reminder that this isn't just Caleb's show.
Injury bug bites hard
Rookie receiver Luther Burden III is sidelined with a groin injury and expected to miss a little bit of time. That's a bummer after he spent the first week making defenders look silly in one-on-ones. With Burden out, Jahdae Walker cashed in, hauling in a gorgeous busted-coverage deep ball from Williams.
Meanwhile, safety Coby Bryant's knee injury is a gut punch — hyperextended knee, bone bruise and small fracture. He's expected to miss eight to ten weeks. Newly signed veteran Xavier Woods stepped right in and immediately laid a massive hit on Colston Loveland. Welcome to Chicago, kid.
Also monitoring: rookie Zavion Thomas left with a knee issue, and key names like Montez Sweat, Braxton Jones and Jaylon Jones all sat Sunday.
Left tackle battle is wide open
The most fascinating competition on the roster remains at left tackle. Kiran Amegadjie took first-team reps Sunday, but the Bears keep rotating him with Jedrick Wills Jr. and Braxton Jones. Ben Johnson wants consistency, and right now nobody has grabbed the job by the throat.
Braxton Jones, who went through a similar battle last year, says he feels night and day healthier after an ankle injury wrecked his 2025 offseason. He's not panicking.
Big money, big expectations
Darnell Wright became the highest-paid right tackle in NFL history with a four-year, $116 million extension — $93 million guaranteed. He credited line coach Dan Roushar for teaching him how to stack good reps. After a second-team All-Pro season while playing through an elbow injury, Wright is the anchor this front office is building around.
The defense also got a boost with T.J. Edwards activated off the NFI list, and rookie nickel Malik Muhammad keeps earning first-team reps. Veteran corner Jaylon Johnson says he feels 'night and day' better after playing through pain last season.
Target competition is heating up
Rome Odunze insists his foot feels amazing and says without a doubt he can be a top-tier No. 1 receiver. He's aiming for 1,000 yards, 100 catches and double-digit touchdowns. But Luther Burden and Colston Loveland are both making cases to be Caleb Williams' favorite target. That's a good problem.
What's next
The Bears will keep grinding until the first full week of preseason kicks off Aug. 13. With the defense hunting and the offense loaded with weapons, this camp is starting to feel like something real in Chicago.