The Chicago Bears are holding joint practices with the Denver Broncos this week after a year away from squaring off against another club prior to a preseason game. In 2015, the Bears practiced against the Colts and in 2016, they faced off against the Patriots. This is the first time Matt Nagy has ever participated in joint practices; the Chiefs never participated in any during his time as an assistant. Having the opportunity to compete against the Broncos will give his offense a great challenge and will give the coaching staff and the players an opportunity to see how much work is left to be done. “I think once we saw the schedule, all the tight ends were looking at those guys. It’ll be a good challenge and a good chance to get better,” said TE Adam Shaheen via the Chicago Sun-Times. “We are lucky to go against a great defense in practice, but it will be nice to go against someone else — different styles and different coverages,” added Mitch Trubisky. “It’s going to be competition all week, so we definitely have to bring it. “It will be a great week for us to get better and compete and see who wants to win every single snap — not just a game, not just practice periods, but every single snap, every single rep.” The Bears and Broncos will square off in Week 2 of the preseason on Saturday, August 18 at 9:05 pm. EST.<doc-sep>The Chicago Bears will travel to Denver early this week. Why? They plan to conduct joint practices with the Broncos before their preseason matchup Saturday. It’s actually a rather common NFL policy that teams choose to implement. Two years ago the Bears did the same with the New England Patriots. Now, of course, there can be some drawbacks to this approach. Anybody who saw the raging fight that broke out between the Jets and Redskins can attest to that, but there’s also plenty of benefits too. It is an opportunity for Bears players to practice against somebody different. Not just different players but also different coaches with different schemes. That experience could be a valuable way to sharpen their senses for the regular season to come. However, there is also one major upside. It offers the team an up-close view of the Broncos roster and any potential players they might cut loose in a few weeks. Players the Bears might be interested in adding to their roster. Here are five names they should be watching carefully. DeAngelo Henderson (RB) The short but athletic and ferocious running back might be called the Tarik Cohen of Denver given his skill set. However, his status with the Broncos is very much up in the air. His team just got done drafting two running backs this year including Royce Freeman (3rd round) and David Williams (7th round). While the Broncos did carry four running backs last year, the competition is a lot thicker this time. The possibility is there they might decide to cut Henderson loose and the Bears should absolutely be interested. The only thing better than having a back with versatility like Cohen is having two such backs. He’d be a terrific fit in that Matt Nagy-Mark Helfrich hybrid system and provide quality depth to what is already a loaded position.<doc-sep>The Chicago Bears wrapped up their joint practice with the Denver Broncos and we’ve got the full run-down. On Wednesday, the Chicago Bears opened up the first of two days worth of joint practices with the Denver Broncos at the UCHealth Training Center in Englewood, Colorado. After a somewhat lackluster performance by the starters in last week’s preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals, fans were eager to see them back on the field against another team. Another reason fans were excited about these practices, was that it was the first for Roquan Smith who signed his contract and ended his holdout this week. While the Bears will ease him into practice at first, it is good to see him out there getting reps. The first of these practices are in the books, and there is a lot to unpack, so let’s dive right in. The Good As I alluded to earlier, the offensive starters did not look great in limited action against the Bengals. So everyone was looking on with much anticipation at how Mitch Trubisky and the offense were going to look today. Reports out of practice are that they looked fantastic. Again, it’s never a good idea to put too much stock in a good or bad performance in training camp, but it was good to see the offense bounce back, if only for their confidence. Mitch Trubisky throws a perfect pass to Trey Burton in the corner of the end zone. #Bears pic.twitter.com/bJP2FX69j7 — Da Bears Brothers (@DaBearsBros) August 15, 2018 Trubisky looked sharp, going 4-4 in a full team drill against the Broncos first-team defense and was clicking with his tight ends all practice. In fact, the tight ends on balance had a terrific day, exploiting the middle of the Denver defense. Disturbing trend developing here at Broncos/Bears joint practice…Bears tight ends putting on clinic in the middle of field. If you're a TE for the Bears, you're having a great day. — Zach Bye (@byesline) August 15, 2018 The other very positive takeaway from practice was a report that Allen Robinson is expected to get some playing time on Saturday in the Bears’ game against the Broncos. This is not only positive, but much needed news, as Trubisky and Robinson appeared to be out of sync a bit today, likely a result of their limited work together. The Bad Unfortunately, this category belongs solely to Kevin White. I have been one of White’s biggest cheerleaders since the start of camp, hoping beyond hope that he is finally able to stay healthy and reach his potential. Unfortunately, training camp has not gone very well for him, as he has suffered his fair share of drops. He has also allegedly routinely drawn the ire of some of his coaches, who have been imploring him to finish plays. Kevin White being yelled at by coaches to “FINISH”. Seems like a recurring theme #bears — Angry Bear Fan (@RagingBearFan) August 15, 2018 The Bears seem to be giving White every chance to succeed. Unfortunately, he does not appear to be making the most of his opportunity — at least not yet. There is still a lot of time left in camp, and the hope is White starts to shine. We know the talent is there, and the effort is there, but what appears to be lacking at the moment is his confidence, but that can change in a hurry. Stay tuned. The Ugly Unsurprisingly, the ugly from today’s practice is no surprise and a recurring theme. Cody Whitehair cannot snap a football on target, out of the shotgun formation, with any regularity. While he may perform very well at other aspects of the center position, snapping the football is a biggy — especially out of the shotgun which the Bears expect to feature a lot this year. Whitehair looks good as a blocker but he is not a natural snapper. — Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) August 15, 2018 We saw it in the Bengals game on a third and long play from deep inside Bears’ territory in the first quarter. Whitehair was off target on his shotgun snap and it disrupted the entire rhythm of the play. That happened again today at practice. Notice the shoe-top snap here. With the amount of shotgun this team will run (70%+), this is a huge concern. #Bears https://t.co/VouS1TYqaZ — Andrew Link (@BearsLink82) August 15, 2018 Although Trubisky was able to successfully recover and complete the pass, this is not what you want in an offense built on precision route running and timing. The snap needs to come out clean — period. If Whitehair can’t consistently do that, then the Bears must consider starting James Daniels at center and put their best offensive line on the field. Bottom Line Overall, today’s practice has to be considered a success. Even Smith looked pretty good considering it was his first time out on the field with his teammates. The team will be back at it again tomorrow where they hope to build on the momentum from today.<doc-sep>From the chatter over social media today it would seem that both Chicago’s offense and Denver’s offense had decent days at their joint practice. Bears’ rookie Roquan Smith made his 2018 debut in full gear today, and all accounts about his day were positive. Other Bears back at practice were fellow rookies Kevin Toliver (CB) and Joel Iyiegbuniwe (ILB). These two teams will also practice together tomorrow, then on Friday they’ll each have separate walk-throughs, and on Saturday they’ll kickoff at 8:05 p.m. (Central) from Broncos’ Stadium at Mile High in preseason week two action. The neat thing about this joint practice is that there were beat writers from both cities covering the event, so we’ll share some of the Tweets from both sides of the field. First one on one play of joint practice, Emmanuel Sanders beat Kyle Fuller on go route. #9aports — Mike Klis (@MikeKlis) August 15, 2018 At #Bears-#Broncos: Full team going now. Starters vs Starters. Strong early showing by Bears line. — Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) August 15, 2018 Keenum drilled to Demaryius for big gain. #9sportd — Mike Klis (@MikeKlis) August 15, 2018 At #Bears-#Broncos: Mitch Trubisky goes 4-for-4 in full team drills vs Von Miller and Co. : Trey Burton, Allen Robinson, Burton (best throw) and Adam Shaheen (possible sack if there was hitting). — Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) August 15, 2018 Kevin White can learn a lot from 4-time Pro Bowler Demaryius Thomas pic.twitter.com/08kpPZL2oU — Bears Talk (@NBCSBears) August 15, 2018 Chase Daniel lighting up Broncos No 2 defense. Just hit Javon Wims for long TD. #9sports — Mike Klis (@MikeKlis) August 15, 2018 Keenum to McKenzie deep TD ball. QB1 pretty sharp today. — Kyle Fredrickson (@kylefredrickson) August 15, 2018 Whitehair looks good as a blocker but he is not a natural snapper. — Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) August 15, 2018 Chad Kelly intercepted by CB Marcus Cooper in team period. — Kyle Fredrickson (@kylefredrickson) August 15, 2018 Bears still struggling with snap exchange. Throws timing of fir Trubisky/Robinson on back shoulder — Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) August 15, 2018 Disturbing trend developing here at Broncos/Bears joint practice...Bears tight ends putting on clinic in the middle of field. If you're a TE for the Bears, you're having a great day. — Zach Bye (@byesline) August 15, 2018 Trubisky looks sharp. — Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) August 15, 2018 Mitch Trubisky throws a perfect pass to Trey Burton in the corner of the end zone. #Bears pic.twitter.com/bJP2FX69j7 — Da Bears Brothers (@DaBearsBros) August 15, 2018 TREY BURTON (@TreyBurton8) coming down with the TD at #Bears joint practice with the Broncos today pic.twitter.com/b4NrvH3IuY — PirateLife Football (@PirateLifeFF) August 15, 2018 Tyler Bray and Tannner Gentry have chemistry. — Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) August 15, 2018 #Bears QB Mitch Trubisky draws a crowd after a practice : pic.twitter.com/7QiDdcHpd4 — Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) August 15, 2018 Danny Trevathan said he’ll “more than likely” play Saturday. Matt Nagy also confirmed that Allen Robinson will play. #Bears — Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) August 15, 2018 First thoughts on #Bears LB Roquan Smith: Didn't seem too rusty at all. The Bears gave him plenty of work and he seemed to handle it all well. He even had to cover Demaryius Thomas in the red zone in 7-on-7s. He also called the defensive plays. Bet on him adjusting quickly. — Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) August 15, 2018 Matt Nagy was asked about Mitchell Trubisky taking a lot of shots downfield against the Broncos today. Nagy quickly responded - “That’s never going to stop. Not in this offense.” — James Palmer (@JamesPalmerTV) August 15, 2018 #Broncos pass rusher Von Miller is high on #Bears QB Mitch Trubisky. pic.twitter.com/KDc8D1Yi0t — Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) August 15, 2018 PRE-PRACTICE The Chicago Bears are in the Mile High City for the remainder of the week as they prepare for preseason game number “two” with the Denver Broncos. They’ll practice with the Broncos today and tomorrow, but only today’s practice is open to the public. If any Bears’ fans made the trip to Englewood, Colorado for practice make sure you tag us (@WCGridiron) in your Twitter pictures that you share and we’ll retweet the best ones. Practice is scheduled to go from 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m (Central time) according to the Broncos’ website, but that appears to be false. Bears head coach Matt Nagy and Denver head coach Vance Joseph have already discussed the plan for the next two days, and more importantly, they discussed the two teams avoiding any altercations. “It’s always good the biggest thing when you do these team scrimmages together, you just want to stay away form the fights,” Nagy said via NBC Sports Chicago. “As long as guys do that it’s definitely a benefit for both teams.” Denver’s Joseph has thoughts on what his team will try and get out of the joint practices. From our sister site that covers the Broncos, Mile High Report. “A lot. Obviously, schematically, it’s a different scheme. You watch our defense now versus our offense, our defense has seen these plays for almost three weeks now. It’s easy for them. To see a different scheme, to play against a different body type, that’s going to be huge for our team as far as schematics and for evaluation of our team. It’s going to be huge.” The last time the Bears held a joint practice with another team was 2016 when they matched up with the New England Patriots. They got a good look at the Pats’ roster that week, and when New England released defensive back Cre’Von LeBlanc they quickly signed him. The Broncos just so happen to be strong at pass rushing outside linebacker, a position the Bears could use a boost, so don’t be surprised to see Ryan Pace taking some long looks at guys like Shane Ray, Shaquil Barrett, Marcus Rush, or Jeff Holland. Consider this your open thread for the morning, if you guys see any neat nuggets from practice be sure to share it in the comment thread. Roquan Smith (58) back in action with the #Bears in Englewood, Colo. pic.twitter.com/wPE5w863Nf — Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) August 15, 2018<doc-sep>
CINCINNATI, OH - AUGUST 09: Kyle Fuller #23 of the Chicago Bears reacts after returning an interception 47 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter of a preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on August 9, 2018 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) Here’s the details from the Bears and Broncos joint practice. The Chicago Bears began their joint practices with the Denver Broncos and there weren’t many fireworks, but there was plenty of interesting news and notes from the practice. Here’s what you need to know. The Good Mitch Trubisky looked sharp in practice and impressed Broncos defenders including Von Miller. Via Kevin Fishbain, “Mitch Trubisky is a great quarterback. He’s their franchise quarterback. He can do a little bit of everything.” Javon Wims torched the Broncos second team for a long touchdown from Chase Daniel. Joel Iyiegbuniwe was on the field and practicing which is a good sign for the Bears’ fourth round pick. Also on the field was rookie Roquan Smith who was in pads and took place in scrimmages with the Broncos. He handled coverage on Demaryius Thomas and was calling plays in the huddle. The Bears tight ends collectively torched the Broncos defense. Trey Burton and Adam Shaheen both had multiple catches for big yardage. Matt Nagy confirmed that the Bears would be taking chances down the field on a regular basis. They did it today against Denver and Nagy told the media, “That’s never going to stop, not in this offense.” Michael Joseph played well at cornerback. The Bears definitely have an open competition at the bottom end of that position and Joseph made a strong case for it today. Rookie Anthony Miller continues to impress. It would be a shock if he wasn’t a key part of this offense all season long. The Bad Allen Robinson wasn’t clicking well with Trubisky. He’s finally getting on the field and that chemistry is clearly going to take some time. The Bears defense as a unit didn’t look great. The Broncos offense had plenty of success. Kyle Fuller seemingly had the worst day of anyone in a Bears’ uniform. He was torched by Emmanuel Sanders. Cody Whitehair looked good in terms of blocking, but he had more snap issues with Trubisky. When will James Daniels be moved to first-team center? Taquan Mizzell continues to struggle in all aspects of the game. He seems destined to be released and probably not even headed to the practice squad. That about finishes up the highlights. More info will be coming in from Denver all week as the Bears and Broncos continue their joint practices leading up to Saturday’s preseason game.