USA Today
Khalil Herbert Loads Up for Kick Return Duties
In a Friday practice with plenty of big pass plays on the offensive side, it might have been one by rookie running back Khalil Herbert that delighted the crowd the most.
It was the second Bears padded practice and included some live hitting. Herbert made the most of it by shaking off a tackle bid by DeAndre Houston-Carson and turning a short pass into a touchdown during red zone scrimmage. In a practice without the pads, this play wouldn't have even been possible.
One of the better crowds at Halas Hall for practices so far roared with approval after Herbert's catch and run.
"Everybody on the team came and ran over there so I was really focused on those guys," Herbert said, not noticing the fan reaction.
The practice included a Justin Fields TD toss to tight end J.P. Holtz and several long completions by starting QB Andy Dalton.
Herbert is hoping to make an impact as a kick returner but it's not something he can really display properly until preseason games.
"Yes and no," he said. "Really just, you know, showing them that I can catch first and foremost, but then being able to follow the returns, follow my blocks to know which way I'm going, stuff like that. And then preseason is also a big part of that."
Four by two
New Bears linebacker Alec Ogletree made the kind of impact plays needed if he's going to break onto a roster with several other players already capable of playing at his position. On his first day, Ogletree made an interception, then Friday he made three more. Actually, it would go down as one more in a scrimmage, while the other two occurred during drills.
"He's a nice-sized guy that has speed and he has experience, too," Bears coach Matt Nagy said. "So when you get into these situations in training camp where you're looking for a little bit of depth, he helps out."
The two interceptions during drills were actually more difficult than the scrimmage picks because he was matched up one on one with a receiver and no other players on the field. It's rare when interceptions occur on those.
Pass coverage has always been Ogletree's strength, with 12 career interceptions and 57 career passes defended.
Ogletree didn't have exclusive rights to picks. Roquan Smith picked off a Justin Fields shovel pass and returned it 30 yards before being run out of bounds by Damien Williams.
Special Guys
Finding punt gunners has been a team goal after the Bears lost both Sherrick McManis and Cordarrelle Patterson last year. They had been two of the better gunners they've had. They were looking at wide receivers Javon Wims and Jester Weah in those slots on Friday. ... Kicker Cairo Santos did something no Bears kicker wants to do. While kicking on his own during the middle of practice without a snapper or holder, he double-doinked. Unlike the infamous playoff kick by Cody Parkey, this one hit the left upright then caromed straight right and hit the right upright. Parkey's miss hit the crossbar after striking the left upright. When the Bears do kick, they have Cole Kmet long-snapping while Patrick Scales is away on the reserve COVID-19 list. "The timing felt different for sure, but it still comes down to (holder Pat) O'Donnell cleaning up any kind of snap he throws out there and once it's down, just focusing on us," Santos said. "We're still going through with Kmet snapping for the next couple of days and it's not throwing off anything just because, like I said, O'Donnell does a good job cleaning it up."
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