Joint sessions could see addition
Smith’s potential arrival adds intrigue to practices with Broncos
Bears rookie Roquan Smith didn’t make it to Bourbonnais for training camp, but he’ll have several days on the road to become reacquainted with his team if his contract becomes official early this week.
As the Bears front office worked to end their first-round pick’s 29-day holdout, the team readied to travel for joint practices Wednesday and Thursday with the Broncos in Englewood, Colo. They’ll follow that with their third exhibition game of the season Saturday at Broncos Stadium at Mile High.
Bears coach Matt Nagy never participated in joint practices during his coaching career with the Eagles and Chiefs, but some of his assistant coaches can tell him what to expect. It will be the Bears’ third set of joint practices in four years. They also visited the Colts in 2015 and the Patriots in 2016 under former coach John Fox.
“It spices up practice a little bit,” Nagy said. “There’s that monotony when you’re out here every single day going through the same thing over and over again. It’s a long camp, so this changes things up a little bit. They’ll be juiced up. We as a team (will) come together more. Rather than offense and defense against each other, now we’re for each other.”
A couple of skirmishes broke out between the Bears and the Patriots when they practiced together in Foxborough, Mass., two years ago, including one between then-Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler and then-Bears wide receiver Alshon Jeffery.
Nagy said he spoke with Broncos coach Vance Joseph at the NFL combine, and they have been in touch on the phone about how they want to operate, agreeing their top priority “is make sure we control our guys and that it’s controlled and nothing stupid.” Nagy said he doesn’t think they will go live during the practices.
“The biggest thing when you do these team scrimmages together, you just want to stay away from the fights,” Nagy said. “As long as guys do that, it’s definitely a benefit for both teams.”
Of course, Smith’s arrival would be the biggest Bears story in Colorado as he gets up to speed after missing nearly a month of camp. Nagy said Sunday he has a lot to catch up on. It remains to be seen whether he’ll be ready to see game action by Saturday.
“You’re playing at that position, and there are a lot of calls that go on, very similar to a quarterback,” Nagy said. “But I have full confidence in (defensive coordinator) Vic (Fangio) and his staff that when he does get here, they’ll get him up to speed. … That’s why we all get paid as coaches is to try to help our players out as much as possible and that’s kind of where we’re at.”
For the players who have been working for weeks against their teammates, the pair of joint sessions, followed by the game, “ups the ante,” Bears wide receiver Allen Robinson said.
“It helps a lot, especially with a good defense like Denver, for us offensively,” Robinson said. “They’ve proven the type of unit that they are. They’ve played a high level. They’ve won Super Bowls. We already know what we’re stepping into. We know how focused we have to be. It’s still early in the year, but it’s a good early test for us.”
Robinson will be another one to watch as the Bears move toward Saturday. He didn’t play in the Bears’ first two exhibition games as the Bears remained cautious about his recovery from last year’s surgery to repair the ACL in his left knee.
But he said Sunday he thinks he will play in Denver, depending on how the week unfolds.
“It’s always tough watching, man,” Robinson said. “Not just Thursday night (against the Bengals) — the past year. Try watching the AFC Championship. … I know for me I’m excited to get back out there and play.”