3 studs from Bears joint practice vs. Bengals

Chicago Bears training camp is in full swing ahead of the 2026 regular season. Under second-year head coach Ben Johnson, the Bears are looking to build on their success from last year and keep pace in a crowded NFC with important meetings and practices at Halas Hall.

Thursday's practice was a breath of fresh air as the Bears traveled to Cincinnati to take on the Bengals for a joint practice ahead of their preseason game this weekend. It was a back-and-forth affair with each team's offense trading blows, while their defenses stepped up in key moments.

Following every Bears training camp practice, we at Bears Wire will highlight the top players who stood out on the field. Here are the players who stood out from the joint practice:

Thursday's practice was the first time quarterback Caleb Williams had faced a different defense than his own since the divisional playoffs and he gave the Bengals defense fits while impressing the Cincinnati media in attendance. FOX 19's Jeremy Rauch said Williams "cooked" during 7-on-7 drills. The Bears quarterback delivered touchdowns to wide receivers Rome Odunze and Kaden Davis, along with a strike to tight end Colston Loveland (more on him in a bit) in 11-on-11s. His score to Odunze came while on the move to his left as the receiver broke free.

It wasn't perfect by any means, though. Williams threw a pair of picks and got sacked near the end of practice. But NBC 5 Cincinnati's Charlie Clifford jotted Williams' stats and had him completing 16-of-26 passes, including 10 straight in 11-on-11 drills. Meanwhile, Bengals star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, who intercepted Williams, called him a "special quarterback" after the practice. Clearly, Williams made a strong impression on the Bengals beat with some strong throws.

Bengals fans might have some PTSD watching Loveland make big plays against Cincinnati's defense. Loveland had one of the better catches of the day when he secured a play-action pass from Williams right on his shoulder with Bengals safety Jordan Battle draped all over him for a touchdown. It's fitting considering Loveland's coming-out party took place nine months earlier when he caught six passes for 118 yards and two scores in Cincinnati.

.@colstonlovelan1 is a problem 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/4mB9CCYVs0

Cornerback Jaylon Johnson missed out on the chance to go up against the Bengals' dynamic receiving duo of Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins last November. He made up for it on Thursday. Johnson was able to lock down Chase so much so that the star receiver didn't come down with a catch during team drills when the Bears defender was in coverage. "Real good corner," Chase told Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times.

One of those targets to Chase was met with resistance by Johnson. On a pass by quarterback Joe Burrow to Chase on an out route, Johnson closed to break up the throw, which was brought down for an interception by linebacker Devin Bush right on the sidelines. Johnson has had a strong camp and looks to be his old self, which the Bears defense desperately needs.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: 3 studs from Bears joint practice vs. Bengals