Bears coach Ben Johnson likes to get a little crazy with play designs, but the drill he ran at the end of practice Thursday was probably meant more for entertainment than a serious idea.
With Caleb Williams at quarterback, Johnson lined up an offensive lineman at wide receiver going one-on-one against a defensive lineman playing cornerback. Williams completed 2 of 3.
Right tackle Darnell Wright — quite a target at 6-foot-5, 325 pounds — made a remarkably athletic catch over defensive end Montez Sweat to open the drill.
On the next snap, right guard Jonah Jackson blew past defensive tackle Andrew Billings in a matchup that totaled 659 pounds and had several steps on him as Williams lofted a pass toward the end zone. The ball, however, went right through Jackson’s hands.
“Fifty-fifty ball, you know?” Jackson joked afterward.
The final play was between arguably the two most accomplished players on the roster: guard Joe Thuney and defensive tackle Grady Jarrett. Thuney cut toward the center of the field on a slant and caught Williams’ pass as the team erupted.
Jarrett started doing pushups after losing, and wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El yelled, “Those don’t count,” and made him redo them. It was a light moment for the group at the end of a relatively light practice, with a more grueling day planned Friday when the Bills arrive at Halas Hall.
“It’s a good little team camaraderie thing,” Jackson said. “It’s fun to switch it up here and there.”
Always in the mix for the Super Bowl, the Bills bring everything to the table for the joint practice Friday and preseason game Sunday.
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The differences in opinion about Williams is documented in Seth Wickersham’s book, “American Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback,” which will be released Sept. 9, one day after the Bears’ season opener against the Vikings.
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Theo Benedet played with the starters at left tackle for a few snaps Wednesday.
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