The Good and Not So Good From Bears' Joint Practice With Bengals

Sports Illustrated • August 20, 2026 • sports

Key Points:

The Chicago Bears and Cincinnati Bengals held a joint practice ahead of their preseason Week 2 matchup, with some minor scuffles including a punch thrown during the session.
The Bears saw the return of Terell Smith and Tyrique Stevenson from injury, while Jaylon Jones and Kyler Gordon were present on the sidelines, signaling potential progress in their recoveries.
The Bears' offensive line struggled, particularly left tackle Theo Benedet, who gave up consecutive sacks to Myles Murphy, with Braxton Jones currently favored to hold the starting position.
The Bears offense had a poor finish to practice, going four-and-out in a two-minute drill and throwing multiple interceptions, while the Bengals defense appeared more effective overall.
On a positive note, rookie Dillon Thieneman recorded another interception, and the Bears defense generally held its own against a Bengals offense that had some difficulties operating under center.

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