The Good and Not So Good From Chicago Bears' First Padded Practice of Training Camp

Coby Bryant's injury was the biggest news to come out of Day 5 of Chicago Bears training camp, which was the first session with pads.

Chicago Bears defensive back Coby Bryant. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Chicago Bears returned to practice on Monday after a day off on Sunday and it was the first time the team wore pads in training camp.

The story of the day was no doubt the injury to safety Coby Bryant, who came down with an apparent knee injury during the session and had to be carted off the field. Thankfully, there was a positive update from an unlikely source after practice.

Bryant's injury wasn't the only one the Bears suffered on Monday, but they also had two players return to practice, including Kyle Monangai.

We'll go over Bryant's injury and much more as we take a look at the good and not so good from Chicago's first padded practice of training camp.

The Good

Chicago Bears running back Kyle Monangai. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Kyle Monangai, Jack Sanborn return

Head coach Ben Johnson revealed that Monangai was dealing with a soft-tissue injury before practice and it sounded like the second-year back would miss more time.

However, Monangai was in pads and on the practice field on Monday, as was linebacker Jack Sanborn after he left practice early on Saturday.

When it comes to Monangai's workload, he was limited and did not take part in team work. That was to be expected, though, as the Bears are easing him back in after three missed practices.

Zavion Thomas, Jahdae Walker among standouts

Zavion Thomas, Jahdae Walker and Salvon Ahmed were noted as three of the biggest standouts at practice by Chicago Sports Network's Clay Harbor.

"Zavion Thomas continues to impress," Harbor wrote. "Beat Terell Smith for a TD in 1-on-1s, made several catches, and is looking like much more than just a gadget player."

Harbor added that Ahmed "flashed burst" in his reps, and Walker "also had a strong day, winning contested catches and looking smooth throughout."

Thomas, Walker and Ahmed have now strung together a few good practices in a row and Ahmed, who has received first-team reps in place of Monangai, is making a push for the RB3 job in Chicago.

Braxton Jones, Jedrick Wills shine

Chicago Bears offensive tackle Braxton Jones. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After Kiran Amegadjie and Jedrick Wills dominated first-team reps the last two practices, Braxton Jones received the most first-team looks on Day 5, according to CHGO Sports' Adam Jahns, and he "did well in one-on-one drills."

The Daily Herald's Mike McGraw noted that Jones topped Austin Booker and Daniel Hardy in one-on-one reps, while Amegadjie went 0-2 against the same players.

As far as Jedrick Willis is concerned, Harbor said he "had a good day" but saw most of his reps with the twos and threes.

"Heavy hands, physical, good technique tossed [Jamree Kromah] about five yards in 1-on-1s. Worth noting most of his work came against the 2s/3s," Harbor added on Wills.

The Not So Good

Chicago Bears defensive back Coby Bryant. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Coby Bryant carted off

Bryant suffered an apparent left knee injury during a one-on-one drill on Monday and had to be carted off the field. The injury occurred after Bryant landed awkwardly on his leg.

Adam Hoge of CHGO Bears reported that Bryant was "clearly emotional" while exiting the field, which is never a good sign.

"Not good. Coby Bryant just went down grabbing his left knee during a 1-on-1 rep vs Cole Kmet. He was clearly emotional as he got on a cart under his own power," Hoge explained. "I’ll caution you that they are on the far fields so a cart is not unusual, but the fact that he was so emotional is concerning."

However, after practice, Rome Odunze told Kay Adams that Bryant "should be fine," so it appears the Bears might have dodged a bullet.

A significant injury for Bryant would obviously be a devastating blow to the Bears' defense, as Bryant is the starter next to rookie Dillon Thieneman in what is a revamped safeties room.

Cam Lewis, who has also been competing in the slot with Kyler Gordon out, was the first man up after Bryant left, so it appears he's a candidate to replace the veteran if he misses an extended period of time. Elijah Hicks will also be in the mix once he's activated off the PUP list.

Terell Smith leaves early

Bryant wasn't the only Bears injury on Monday, as cornerback Terell Smith exited early with trainers, also, according to the Chicago Tribune's Brad Biggs.

There was no update on what Smith is dealing with, though.

Pass-rush struggles in one-on-ones

McGraw noted the Bears' pass-rush "didn't get much pressure in lineman 1-on-1s" against the first-team offensive linemen, which is noteworthy given Chicago's struggles with sacks in 2025.

Offense "wasn't that sharp"

Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While receivers thrived in one-one-ones, the offense as a whole didn't have a great day in team periods, McGraw noted.

"Bears receivers looked good in 1-on-1s. Raymond, Burden, Walker & Zavion Thomas pulled in long passes," McGraw said. "But offense wasn't that sharp in 7-on-7 or 11-on-11 today."

Harbor added that the offense "had a few operational issues" as well.

After dominating over the first three days of training camp, the offense has now put together two lackluster showings in a row after Day 4 of training camp saw the defense win the day.

Struggles for Kiran Amegadjie and Logan Jones

We already touched on Amegadjie's losses in one-on-ones, but Harbor noted that the 2024 third-round pick also lost on some team reps. With strong days from Wills and Jones, Amegadjie might be third in the race at left tackle at this point.

As far as Jones is concerned, Harbor said he had "an up-and-down day, showing good movement but losing a rep to Neville Gallimore."

Through a week-plus of training camp, Garrett Bradbury is the clear favorite at center, especially after all of the praise Bears players and coaches have heaped on the veteran.