The Bears celebrated their last mandatory minicamp practice Thursday by sending their offensive linemen out for passes during drills. One by one, centers, guards and tackles sprinted up the sideline and caught passes from the team’s quarterbacks.
Or tried to, at least.
Asked who caught his attention, backup quarterback Tyson Bagent smiled.
“Nobody I threw the ball to, at least,” he said to a roar of laughter.
Right tackle Darnell Wright made the catch of the day, plucking the ball out of the air with his right hand and spinning before he hit the ground.
Did head coach Ben Johnson catch that?
“Oh, I did,” he said with a twinkle in his eye.
It was more than just fun and games — it was a chance to audition for a trick play. Johnson was known for throwing passes to tackles with the Lions. Dan Skipper, a 6-9 tackle, had a catch in each of the last two seasons, including a touchdown last year. Tackle Penei Sewell took an end-around handoff against the Bears and looked to throw before running out of bounds.
“I let those guys know we only do this once a year, and it’s an evaluation,” Johnson said. “We’ll circle back in training camp and in the season to see who we can trust to catch the ball or throw the ball. I think there’s a couple guys on the O-line that stood out.”
The Bears also had running backs, tight ends and receivers throw passes to quarterbacks. Veteran quarterback Case Keenum wowed his teammates by putting both hands behind his back, palms up, before catching a pass of around 40 yards.
“I think we’ve got some toys to work with,” Johnson said.
Early returns
When Johnson was asked Wednesday to name players who stood out during the offseason program, he asked for a day to think about it.
He arrived Thursday with four names: rookie linebacker Ruben Hyppolite, a fourth-round pick; defensive end Dominique Robinson, who’s entering his fourth season; rookie running back Kyle Monangai, a seventh-round pick; and tight end Joel Wilson, whom the Bears brought in as a practice-squad player in October.
Of those, Hyppolite has shown the most improvement.
“I thought he’s done a nice job learning,” Johnson said. “He’s swimming a little bit, but he’s taking it seriously.”
Monangai “has really stepped up,” Johnson said.
“I appreciate the attention to detail and the pride he takes and how quickly he’s picking things up,” Johnson said.
PCA Junior?
Ever since buzzing his once-flowing locks, Bagent has been confused for Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong.
“I’ve got that a bunch since I cut the hair,” he said. “Not a bad comparison. He’s playing pretty well right now.”
Bagent was tired of his hair coming out of a bun during workouts. Plus, he said, it was hard to maintain.
“I feel like I kind of served my time with that,” he said.
Bagent, who turns 25 on Sunday, is having a joint birthday party with his little sister. They’re renting out a water park in Martinsburg, West Virginia.
“There is one diving board and one slide,” he said.
Notes
First-round pick Colston Loveland “should get the green light” to practice in training camp after recovering from shoulder surgery, Johnson said. He won’t be concerned if Loveland or second-round pick Luther Burden, who hurt his midsection in rookie minicamp and hasn’t practiced since, are slow to return. “We got plenty of bullets, plenty of weapons here on offense,” he said.
• The Bears will hold a three-day OTA camp next week for rookies, other young players and special-teamers. Veterans are free to leave for the summer.
