The Chicago Bears hit the practice field with the Cincinnati Bengals today, and for anyone watching, the biggest takeaway has to be the brutal struggles at left tackle, specifically from Theo Benedet. This guy, who Head Coach Ben Johnson had tabbed as competition for Braxton Jones, had a seriously rough go in pass protection. It did not go well for Benedet in the live practice period, and honestly, after today, Braxton Jones looks like the clear frontrunner for that LT1 job.
The Left Tackle Battle Just Got Real Ugly
Before today, Johnson said Benedet was an asset in the run game, which is cool, but admitted he’s “a little behind” in pass protection. Well, that weakness was totally on display. After Jedrick Wills Jr. and Kiran Amegadjie got moved to right tackle because they stunk it up in the first preseason game, Benedet was supposed to step up. Instead, Caleb Williams got sacked twice by Myles Murphy, with the second one even going for a safety! Adam Jahns of CHGO saw it all go down, confirming Murphy beat Benedet on both those sacks. Talk about a bad finish to practice! If your QB is getting rocked like that, how can you expect any consistency?
Bears Offense Got Absolutely Smoked
It wasn’t just Benedet, though the whole Bears offense looked out of sync against the Bengals’ D. Beat reporters were quick to point out how poor the ending to practice was for Chicago. Nicholas Moreano of REKAP reported that the first-team offense couldn’t complete a single pass in one of the 11-on-11 sessions. Patrick Finley from the Chicago Sun-Times piled on, noting the Bears’ offense was straight-up dominated in the last drill. The final play of practice? A Caleb Williams interception by Jalen Davis over the middle. Ouch. And let’s not forget Dexter Lawrence. Adam Jahns called him a “serious problem.” The Bengals radio voice, Dan Hoard, said Lawrence was a “force, consistently collapsing the pocket and tipping a ball to himself for an INT.” This dude only played three snaps against the Lions, and he came in here and wrecked shop. What a statement from the Bengals’ defense!
Even with all the offensive struggles, there was a bright spot, at least on the defensive side: the battle between Jaylon Johnson and Ja’Marr Chase. Chase was reportedly “fuming” because Johnson’s blanket coverage meant he wasn’t getting any targets. You gotta respect that kind of shutdown D! Chase even complimented Johnson after practice, saying he’s a “Real good corner. Pretty aggressive on a cou”.
So, what does this mean? For the Bears, it’s a harsh reality check. If their offensive line can’t protect their franchise QB, it’s going to be a long season. They’ve got to clean up that pass protection, and fast, or Williams is going to be running for his life every snap.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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