6 takeaways from Chicago Bears joint practice with Tennessee Titans

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The Chicago Bears traveled to Nashville for their second joint practice of the preseason when they took on the Tennessee Titans ahead of their game on Saturday.

It was a hot and humid day when practice got underway, which made for some chippiness, as well as a few injury scares. The Bears' offense had their way with the Titans' defense as multiple skill players got the best of Tennessee's secondary. Ben Johnson also dialed up a few complex plays that put the Titans in a blender. Defensively, the Bears continued to struggle stopping an opposing offense. Things were made worse when starting cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson exited practice early, though Stevenson did return. And to top things off, a scuffle broke out after a big hit from Bears safety Xavier Woods.

Here's what we learned from Thursday's joint practice.

Caleb Williams came out firing

Bears quarterback Caleb Williams has said he enjoys playing in cold weather, but it seemed like he didn't mind the heat so much either on Thursday. Starting out in practice, Williams was dialed in. According to CHGO's Adam Hoge, he completed 9-for-11 passes with six straight completions. Hoge notes the two incompletions were a throwaway and a drop, with the targets being spread out to eight receivers.

Meanwhile, NFL on Fox's Ben Arthur said Williams made special plays out on the field, highlighting his completion on a layered throw to Rome Odunze. And Blaine Kellar of Main Street Nashville clocked Williams at just three incompletions during the entire first half of practice. Whoever you ask, it's clear Williams had a strong first half of practice before the Titans began generating pressure and forcing Williams to make poorer throws as the practice concluded.

Injuries continue to be a problem on defense

The Bears' defense has been ravaged by injuries all throughout camp, and things didn't get any better on Thursday. Already missing defensive linemen Austin Booker and Gervon Dexter, the Bears' top two cornerbacks exited practice early with injuries. Jaylon Johnson suffered an arm injury, while Tyrique Stevenson dealt with a leg issue, which thankfully didn't keep him out long. And rookie Jordan van den Berg appeared to be cramping due to the extreme heat.

With multiple starters still out for the foreseeable future, it's difficult to project how effective this defense will be early in the season. They need all hands on deck, yet players keep exiting early with ailments. Hopefully Stevenson, Johnson, and van den Berg are all back shortly.

Colston Loveland turned some heads

It's always fun to see what other teams' beat reporters think of the players you cover on a day-to-day basis. Sure, we all know Colston Loveland is a monster and seems poised for a breakout season in Year 2, and seeing other media members describe him only confirms those thoughts. Loveland was having his way with the Titans' defense, making big plays and bouncing off would-be tacklers. Parker Kelley of 102.5 The Game said Loveland "looks legit" during practice, while A to Z Sports Nashville called him "big, tall, fast, and very good." It's another indication that Loveland is going to be a problem for defenses this year. We're going to see a lot of national media members say the same things the more they see of him.

The Bears' tight ends were on full display

While Loveland drew the attention of the Titans' media, the Bears' offense made sure to feature all of the tight ends on Thursday. Johnson drew up a nifty trick play at the goal line with Williams faking a run to Roschon Johnson and an end-around to Kalif Raymond before lofting a perfect pass to Kmet in the back of the end zone. Sam Roush, meanwhile, caught a deep ball before making a leaping touchdown from Case Keenum in 11-on-11 drills on the same drive. While Stephen Carlson and Qadir Ismail made plays as well, the top three players at the position will be counted on heavily this year, and we got a dose of what that might look like.

Braxton Jones has fallen off

There was one particular play that stood out for all the wrong reasons on Thursday, which was captured by X user Ball Noir. At first, the play simply looks like an escape from Williams before he gets rid of the ball, but the major concern is the rep by Braxton Jones, who gets completely obliterated by defensive end Jermaine Johnson to flush the quarterback to his right. Jones gets blown up so badly, he falls into guard Joe Thuney, who could have been hurt by the friendly fire. Jones' play seems to be getting worse and worse the longer camp goes on. He struggled against the Bengals just five days ago and hasn't taken hold of the starting left tackle job since coming back from his injury suffered a few weeks ago. Jones was never superb against the bull rush, but he was far better than what he showed on Thursday in the past. Maybe those days are officially over.

Xavier Woods turned things up a notch too high

We know the Bears tend to be the more physical team in these joint practices during the Ben Johnson going back to last training camp, but there's still a line between physical and unnecessary. It appears Xavier Woods crossed that line on Thursday. Woods, who played for the Titans last year, laid a big hit on wide receiver Wan'Dale Robinson that drew a flag and caused a scuffle between the two teams. Titans coach Robert Saleh said Robinson was being evaluated for a concussion and called the hit "cheap" while guard Peter Skoronksi said it was unacceptable.

Woods doesn't have a reputation as a dirty player or anything, and the weather conditions had both teams a little on edge. Johnson wasn't available for comments after practice, but we can be sure he will keep his team playing with a physical tone while making sure it doesn't get out of hand.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: 6 takeaways from Chicago Bears joint practice with Tennessee Titans

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