The Chicago Bears held their last practice of the preseason Thursday at Halas Hall and will take a three-day break over Labor Day weekend before crossing into Week 1 and continuing preparation for the season opener against the Green Bay Packers.
The team will return to practice Monday with plenty to monitor in terms of injuries and lineup combinations. Here are three things we learned in Lake Forest.
1. Jaquan Brisker’s availability for the opener remains iffy.
Brisker has been out with an undisclosed injury since Aug. 4 and faces a ticking clock to get on the field against the Packers. Bears coach Matt Eberflus said the team feels good about where Brisker is in his recovery but that Wednesday’s padded practice figures to be the pivotal day for whether Brisker will be cleared for action Sept. 10.
“It’s just a wait-and-see (thing),” Eberflus said. “How does the rehab go this weekend? Because he’ll be doing something every day … and we’ll see where it goes. Then when you get the pads on and start cracking and doing full-speed movements, we’ll see where it is.”
What “it” is remains a mystery — Eberflus is devoted to concealing injury information until he’s mandated to share it. The Bears are obligated by league rules to issue an injury report after Wednesday’s practice, which will clear up what has been bothering Brisker.
For what it’s worth, Brisker needed preseason right thumb surgery as a rookie last season but battled to get back into the starting lineup for opening day.
2. The Bears named their captains for 2023.
Quarterback Justin Fields, receiver DJ Moore, safety Eddie Jackson and linebacker Tremaine Edmunds were all voted into the role by teammates. Fields and Jackson were among the Bears captains last season, and Edmunds held that responsibility during his time with the Buffalo Bills.
Moore, a newcomer to Halas Hall, might not be as vocal as the other three captains but has earned the respect of the locker room since the spring with the way he goes about his business.
“He is just a worker,” Eberflus said. “And he’s a playmaker. Guys look up to him, and that showed in the votes he got.”
3. Thursday was a day of introductions at Halas Hall.
The Bears added four new players since setting their initial 53-man roster Tuesday afternoon. Offensive lineman Dan Feeney arrived via a trade with the Miami Dolphins. Wide receiver Trent Taylor was signed after the Cincinnati Bengals cut him. Defensive end Khalid Kareem and safety Quindell Johnson were claimed on waivers after they were released by the Indianapolis Colts and Los Angeles Rams, respectively.
Feeney, who hails from Orland Park and Sandburg High School, is one of six players on the 53-man roster or injured reserve who was a high school standout in the area as well as a boyhood Bears fan. The others: Cole Kmet (St. Viator), T.J. Edwards (Lake Villa), Jack Sanborn (Lake Zurich), Robert Tonyan (McHenry) and Doug Kramer (Hinsdale Central).
“We can field a basketball team,” Eberflus joked.
Eberflus also reiterated Ryan Poles’ sentiments from earlier this year that adding players with local ties can be an added bonus.
“Those guys bleed the Bears,” Eberflus said. “They grew up loving the Bears and when they come back, they’re so excited to be back. Their families are excited. You can certainly feel the want to come back. They love Chicago. All those guys are super pumped to be here.”
Feeney confirmed his Bears allegiances.
“As a kid my grandma would always put on the Super Bowl Shuffle on VHS and make me watch it when she was babysitting me,” he said.
He is also well aware of the Bears’ Week 1 opponent: the rival Packers.
“I grew up hating them,” he said, “so I think I am right at home.”
