Chicago Bears cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson returned to practice on Wednesday after being listed as day-to-day with injuries.
The Chicago Bears received two notable injury returns at Wednesday's practice, a welcome sight with the regular season less than two weeks away.
Cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson were both back on the field after leaving last Thursday's joint practice in Tennessee against the Titans with injuries, and their return provides a significant boost to a Bears secondary that has already dealt with a few losses this offseason.
Wednesday's practice lasted just over an hour and a half, focused on situational work without full pads. The Bears will practice in full pads Thursday before giving players the weekend off heading into Week 1.
Both Johnson and Stevenson left last Thursday's joint practice early
. Johnson was the first to exit with what appeared to be a right arm injury. He sat out the remainder of the session on the sideline with his pads off next to defensive backs coach Al Harris.
Stevenson was injured in a collision involving Titans wide receiver Carnell Tate and another Bears defender. He briefly returned to practice and went in and out of the lineup before the team shut him down for the rest of the day.
Neither player suited up for the preseason finale along with the rest of the starters, and their absence from Tuesday's practice raised some eyebrows. Bears head coach Ben Johnson said Tuesday that both players were considered day-to-day. Their return Wednesday was a positive sign.
Johnson, in particular, could not afford another setback going into the season. He missed 10 games last year, and with the Bears already out Coby Bryant, he's a player Chicago simply cannot afford to be without in the secondary.
"I've seen a guy who has really kind of taken a step forward. I think he himself probably feels more like himself. And I've been really pleased with what I've seen out of him, in particular over the course of the last two weeks," Allen said of Johnson. "I think his leadership has started to come to the forefront a little bit, and that's needed. We need him to play at a very high level for us to be successful. And I think he understands that, he accepts that challenge, and he's looking forward to it."
One of the biggest questions surrounding this defense heading into Week 1 is the safety position opposite first-round rookie Dillon Thieneman. Xavier Woods took the majority of safety reps on Wednesday while Malik Muhammad II worked primarily in the nickel. That alignment suggests Cam Lewis is headed for a reserve role to start the season.
Still, defensive coordinator Dennis Allen plans to mix and match personnel throughout the season, and the Bears will have enough options to give him that flexibility.
One of those options generating excitement is new cornerback Clark Phillips III. General manager Ryan Poles spoke highly of what Phillips can bring from a man coverage perspective, and Allen confirmed Wednesday the new addition will be an option on the outside and at the nickel position.
The overall outlook for the secondary is a positive one. The Bears are getting healthy at the right time despite the injuries they've dealt with through camp. The only real losses heading into Week 1 right now are Bryant, who is now on injured reserve and will miss the majority of the season, and Kyler Gordon, who remains on the reserve PUP list .
Those two absences are significant, but the players the Bears are counting on for Week 1 are trending in the right direction. Chicago has 11 days to prepare before opening the season against the Carolina Panthers, and getting Johnson, Stevenson, and the rest of the secondary healthy before that opener is exactly the kind of news this defense needed.
This article was originally published on A to Z Sports. Read the full story here: Chicago Bears' secondary gets significant injury update as two starters return to practice with Week 1 on the horizon
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