Bears second-round pick Shemar Turner is back on the field.
Turner injured his ankle in the first practice of training camp in July and the defensive tackle has missed the last few weeks of on-field work while recovering. Reporters at Friday’s joint practice with the Bills shared that Turner is on the field in full pads for the first time since he was hurt.
At the time of the injury, word was that he would miss the entire preseason. The Bears play the Bills on Sunday before wrapping up the preseason against the Chiefs next Friday and the timing of Turner’s return could make an appearance in the finale possible.
Turner had 115 tackles, 24 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, and three forced fumbles while at Texas A&M.
Quarterback Caleb Williams will get his first chance to run Ben Johnson’s offense in a game situation this weekend.
The Bears head coach announced on Wednesday that Chicago’s starters, including Williams, will play against the Bills on Sunday night.
Williams did not play in Chicago’s preseason opener against Miami last Sunday.
“Well, last week — and really, all through camp — I’ve been pretty consistent with the thought of reps, reps, reps are the most important thing to get him up to speed,” Johnson said in his press conference. “And by the plan that we had a week ago, we were able to get him probably somewhere between 80 and 100 more reps than we would’ve been able to do had he played in the game.
“This week, it’s a different schedule. Different length of time in terms of in between games and all that. And so, our plan right now is the guys that sat out last week, they will be playing this week.”
Johnson added that how long Williams and the starters will play in the contest is still to be determined. Chicago will have a joint practice with Buffalo on Friday, which may affect how Johnson then distributes reps in the game.
Though whatever plays the Bears run are likely to be very vanilla, Sunday will still represent a chance for Williams to hear plays called in from Johnson for the first time in a game situation. That’s a key box to check for a first-year head coach and a young quarterback.
Kickoff between Chicago and Buffalo is set for 8 p.m. ET on Sunday night. The game will be nationally televised on Fox.
The Bears added depth in the secondary, signing four defensive backs Tuesday.
The team announced Millard Bradford, Mekhi Garner, Kaleb Hayes and Mark Perry have joined the team as free agents. The Bears waived receiver John Jackson and kicker Jonathan Kim and waived safety Major Burns with an injury designation. They also placed cornerback Shaun Wade on injured reserve.
The Bears have taken some hits in the secondary.
Pro Bowl cornerback Jaylon Johnson (leg) remains on the non-football injury list, and Burns injured a knee in the Bears preseason game Sunday. Wade’s injury is undisclosed.
Kim, a rookie, lost the kicking job to incumbent Cairo Santos.
We’ll have to wait until the regular season to get a full picture of what Bears head coach Ben Johnson has planned for the team’s offense, but one sneak preview has come with the way he’s using wide receiver DJ Moore this summer.
Moore has been lining up in the backfield from time to time as the Bears try to find as many ways as possible to get the ball into the hands of one of their most dynamic players. On Monday, Moore said it has been “daunting” to learn a new position but added that it’s why he gets “paid the big bucks” so he’s going full speed in his embrace of the new twist to the offense.
‘‘Just be an athlete at this point,’’ Moore said, via Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. ‘‘Just do it all and just attack it.’’
The Bears will likely be deploying other wrinkles as they try to keep defenses from feeling comfortable during the 2025 season and it won’t be surprising if they’re also devoted to finding ways to maximize Moore’s contributions this fall.
The Bears have made a pair of roster moves on Monday.
Chicago announced the club has signed running back Brittain Brown.
Brown, 27, was a Raiders seventh-round pick back in 2022. He has appeared in six career games, all of which came when he was a rookie. He played exclusively on special teams.
Last year, Brown spent time with the Seahawks but did not appear in a game.
As a corresponding move, the Bears waived defensive back Ameer Speed with an injury designation.
