Several Bears Starters Involved in Fights in Most Physical Practice ‘Since the 1990s’

In what has been described as the most physical training camp practice in years — in decades by some — the Chicago Bears brought the intensity to their two-hour full‑pads session at Halas Hall on August 5.

With live tackling across nearly every drill, including goal-line situations and 7-on-7s, plays were often finished with tackles to the ground, and the overall physicality raised some eyebrows.

“I’ve counted four skirmishes today, including the last one between Braxton Jones and Austin Booker that ended with Gervon Dexter pushing Jones to the ground,” ESPN’s Courtney Cronin wrote on X.

Starting safety Jaquan Brisker and wide receiver Tyler Scott also got into a minor pushing match, and it didn’t end there.

Chicago Bears Had at Least 3 Notable Fights During August 5 Practice

GettyLeft tackle Braxton Jones was one of several Chicago Bears players who got into minor fights during the team’s recent practice.

 

“I don’t know in my 10 years of covering the NFL that I’ve seen as much live tackling in a practice that we witnessed today,” Cronin noted in a separate post.

“Today was the most physical Bears practice I’ve seen since the 1990s during two-a-days in Platteville!” longtime Bears analyst Larry Mayer added.

Running back Roschon Johnson and safety Jonathan Owens also got into it.

“In the later stages of a hot and heated practice, running back Roschon Johnson took exception to the manner in which safety Jonathan Owens took him to the ground,” Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune reported on August 5. “Once on his feet, Johnson faced Owens, then threw the football at him, a flare-up he shrugged off after practice.”

“It’s just football,” Roschon Johnson said about the scuffle with Owens, per Wiederer. “When you compete at a high level, stuff like that is going to happen.”

That’s true, but that level of contact in practice definitely points to a deliberate cultural reset under new head coach Ben Johnson. After years of more restrained practices, the Bears are re-establishing an identity that’s centered around strength, aggression and toughness. It stands in stark contrast to recent regimes that avoided live tackling and promised punishments if any fights broke out (talking to you, Matt Eberflus).

Ben Johnson Is Bringing More Physical Play to the Chicago Bears

The new Bears coach is a smart guy; Johnson knows that type of intensity in practice can serve as a litmus test for several players. The goal-line and short-yardage drills weren’t just teaching moments—they were opportunities for players to see who plays hard despite all the contact. Roschon Johnson’s goal-line score and follow-up scuffle was one example.

“He let us know early this morning that’s what he wanted today,” cornerback Nahshon Wright said about Ben Johnson, via the Bears official website. “Coach is demanding physicality. That’s going to be our identity.”

Johnson previously worked under Dan Campbell in Detroit, where physical, high-contact camp practices are common. By allowing this type of controlled chippiness, Johnson is likely trying to help players buy into the idea that physicality is expected—not discouraged—so long as it’s done with genuine competitive spirit.

Johnson likely had other motives for bringing the physicality to practice. Having tough practices early in camp readies the team for the joint practices and preseason games ahead, including the Bears’ first preseason matchup against the Miami Dolphins. Rather than easing into things leading up to the preseason, Johnson is pre-loading his players with more hardcore reps so they’re not totally blown back when the real competition hits.

We’ll see if the Bears carry on their physical play when the Dolphins come to town.