Vikings safety Harrison Smith is progressing toward a full return to action.
Smith has missed practice time recently because of a personal health issue, but he took part in the team’s walkthrough on Wednesday. He took another step forward on Friday when he took part in practice on a limited basis.
Left tackle Christian Darrisaw also took a step in the right direction. Darrisaw is dealing with a knee injury and moved from limited to full practice participation.
Running back Zavier Scott (ankle) and defensive back Elijah Williams (hamstring) remained out of practice. Wide receiver Jalen Nailor (hand) and linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel (neck) were listed as full participants for the second straight day.
The Vikings will practice again on Saturday before issuing injury designations for Monday night’s game against the Bears.
Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson said earlier this week that his absence in practice during training camp was because of a groin injury. The team’s first practice report of 2025 confirmed that.
The Bears did not practice, but they estimated Johnson as limited with groin and calf injuries.
Johnson is optimistic he can play in the season opener Monday night.
Starting linebacker T.J. Edwards, who left practice Aug. 27, was estimated as a non-participant Thursday with a groin injury.
Running back Roschon Johnson (foot) and defensive back Josh Blackwell (groin) also were estimated as non-participants.
Running back Kyle Monangai (hamstring) was listed as limited, while wide receiver Devin Duvernay (hamstring) and defensive lineman Dominique Robinson (oblique) were estimated as full participants.
After an up-and-down rookie year, Caleb Williams will play his first game with Ben Johnson as his head coach on Monday night when the Bears take on the Vikings.
Johnson’s strength as an offensive schemer and play-caller has been well documented, with Detroit finishing No. 1 in points scored and No. 2 in total offense in 2024.
In his Wednesday press conference, Williams praised the way Johnson has poured into him over the course of the offseason and training camp.
"[My] knowledge of football and NFL football has grown even just sitting in some of the meetings this, year and even today and going through our first game week and just understanding things I may not have understood last year,” Williams said, via Larry Mayer of the team’s website.
“Whether that’s defenses, whether it’s offenses, I think I’ve taken a step there. I have to keep taking those steps throughout this year and many years from now. But Ben, he’s been great for me. He’s pushed me. Like I’ve said many times, he’s a teacher and he will be persistent until you get it.”
As the Bears get ready for Monday night, Williams told reporters just how comfortable he’s become with Johnson directing the offense.
“I’ve got the utmost confidence in Ben, in his coaching ability, his play-calling and all of that,” Williams said. “It comes down to being able to execute exactly what he puts out there for us as a team, as an offense. Throughout the week when we’re messing up — which is going to happen — we have to get back in the huddle, redo it, so that when it happens on game day, we go out there and execute exactly what he dishes out for us.”
Vikings safety Harrison Smith was sidelined by a personal health issue in August, but he’s making progress toward getting back on the field.
Head coach Kevin O’Connell said at a press conference that Smith took part in Wednesday’s walkthrough. Smith will not participate in practice on Wednesday, however.
O’Connell said, via Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that “the hope is we can ramp him up” over the course of the week, but any determination of his status for the season opener against the Bears will come closer to Monday’s kickoff.
Josh Metellus is listed alongside Smith as a starting safety in Minnesota. Theo Jackson, Jay Ward, and Tavierre Thomas are the team’s other safeties.
Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson said yesterday that a groin injury prevented him from practicing in training camp, and his absence from the practice field had nothing to do with his contract. Johnson’s contract has, however, been adjusted, albeit in a move that appears designed to give the Bears some breathing room under the salary cap.
The Bears created $8 million in salary cap space by restructuring Johnson’s deal, according to Field Yates of ESPN. That gives the Bears more room to potentially make moves this season, but the $8 million will be pushed onto the Bears’ salary cap in future years.
Teams can restructure contracts in ways that make no material impact on the player but change how much of the player’s pay is on each year’s salary cap. But it’s also possible that the Bears included something in the restructured deal that made Johnson happier about his standing with the team. He said in an interview during the offseason that he might want to talk to the Bears about his contract after a string of other cornerbacks signed for more than the four-year, $76 million deal that Johnson signed with the Bears last year.
Johnson said he expects to play in the Monday night opener against the Vikings as his groin injury is getting better.
