{"id":842733,"date":"2026-08-04T02:40:30","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T02:40:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/842733\/"},"modified":"2026-08-04T02:40:30","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T02:40:30","slug":"nfl-catchup-bears-down-key-defensive-player-a-j-brown-shines-through-injury","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/842733\/","title":{"rendered":"NFL Catchup: Bears Down Key Defensive Player; A.J. Brown Shines Through Injury"},"content":{"rendered":"

The pads are finally starting to be put on at training camps around the NFL. But as that might be exciting, it also means we’re starting to see some injuries occur in practice.<\/p>\n

The Chicago Bears were on the wrong side of some injury news on Monday, with one of their key offseason signings having to leave practice and is now out for several weeks. The New England Patriots, meanwhile, saw one of their star players suffer an injury on Monday as well, but he battled through it and ended up having a standout practice.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And while some players compete on the practice field, there are some others who are making news for not practicing. Detroit Lions running back Jahmy Gibbs and Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson each continued their hold-ins on Monday, with the former addressing his contract situation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Here’s the news to know from across the NFL on Monday.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Coby<\/a>\"Chicago<\/a><\/p>\n

Chicago Bears safety Coby Bryant is expected to miss eight-to-10 weeks after suffering a hyperextended knee, a bone bruise, and a small fracture during practice on Monday, ESPN reported Monday. Bryant sustained the injury during one-on-one drills against tight end Cole Kmet and left the field on a cart. Surgery is not expected to be necessary.<\/p>\n

Tight end Colston Loveland addressed the injury following practice:<\/p>\n

“You know, it always sucks to see. That\u2019s part of it. You know, he\u2019s tough, he\u2019s a dog. He\u2019s going to be fine. We\u2019re not worried about it, but I don\u2019t know. We\u2019ll leave that [prognosis] to coach Johnson.”<\/p>\n

The Bears signed Bryant to a three-year, $40 million contract this offseason after he helped the Seattle Seahawks win the Super Bowl in 2025. Chicago signed Bryant as it lost safety Kevin Byard, who led the NFL in interceptions in 2025, in free agency over the offseason.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Now, Cam Lewis might be in line to get some reps with the first team at safety. Lewis signed with the Bears over the offseason after spending the first six years of his career with the Buffalo Bills. Dillon Thieneman, who the Bears took with their first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, also figures to factor into the Bears’ starting safety equation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bryant had 66 total tackles and four interceptions with the Seahawks last season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"A.J.<\/a>\"New<\/a><\/p>\n

New England Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown dislocated his thumb during a play against cornerback Christian Gonzalez. But not only did Brown remain in Monday’s practice, but he also had three touchdown grabs during team drills as he matched up with the All-Pro cornerback.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Brown spoke to NFL Network afterward about practicing through the injury.<\/p>\n

“The game is what it is, and you’re going to get bumps and bruises, but you got to keep going. I know it’s practice, but I’m not coming out of practice. Thumb out of place. You keep going,” Brown said.<\/p>\n

Brown also elaborated on his approach to practice.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“I physically want to impose my will each and every play, and it’s not for everybody to understand,” Brown told NFL Network. “It’s me vs. you. I like to use the reference of, ‘We’re in a boxing match,’ because I’m most of the time on this island, and nobody [is] gonna help you, nobody [is] gonna help me. So let’s go. That’s the mindset I gotta have when I’m out here.”<\/p>\n

Brown’s showing on Monday is a positive development in his connection with quarterback Drake Maye. In the Patriots’ first few practices, the duo reportedly had a tough time connecting. Now, Brown has been making highlight plays with Maye, including a 50-yard touchdown on one play.<\/a><\/p>\n

\"Jahmyr<\/a>\"Detroit<\/a><\/p>\n

Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs attended recent training camp sessions as an observer rather than an active participant, per Pro Football Talk<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Head coach Dan Campbell previously indicated that both sides are working through contract matters. On Monday, Gibbs stated his absence was not about a new contract, though he did not provide a timeline for his return to practice.<\/p>\n

“Only time will tell<\/a>,” Gibbs said, via the Detroit Free Press.<\/p>\n

Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson is also abstaining from practice while seeking a new contract. Both Gibbs and Robinson have two years left on their rookie contracts<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With Gibbs missing Lions’ practice, newcomer Isiah Pacheco has been getting increased snaps with Detroit’s starting unit.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Jalen<\/a>\"Houston<\/a><\/p>\n

Houston Texans safety Jalen Pitre has made headgear history by officially becoming the first signature athlete for Guardian Caps, the company announced Monday. The partnership marks a landmark deal for off-field endorsements, shifting focus toward player safety and innovative protective gear.<\/p>\n

Pitre began donning the padded protective shell last season following a concussion, reportedly the first player in Texans franchise history to wear a Guardian Cap<\/a> in a regular-season game. He finished the season wearing the cap in Houston’s final eight contests.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“Regardless of the level you play at, protection is the most important thing,” Pitre said in a statement released by the company.<\/a> “Be proactive. Don’t wait until after you get a concussion. This is about continuing to push the game forward. Think about your safety now because that’s what you’ll have when you leave the game.”<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"National<\/a>San Francisco 49ers rookie defensive end Mikail Kamara. The 49ers waived rookie defensive end Mikail Kamara with an injury designation on Sunday after Kamara suffered a torn ACL during practice Saturday. Kamara joined San Francisco as an undrafted free agent from Indiana.Mike Evans missed 49ers practice Monday due to a quadriceps strain. While he observed drills and caught passes on the sideline, his absence leaves San Francisco short-handed at wide receiver.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The pads are finally starting to be put on at training camps around the NFL. But as that…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":842734,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[559],"tags":[28656,1276,64,63,5358,1248,169847,3055,1255,28657,170523,9139,1231,593,1262,85],"class_list":["post-842733","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-a-j-brown","tag-atlanta-falcons","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-bijan-robinson","tag-chicago-bears","tag-coby-bryant","tag-detroit-lions","tag-houston-texans","tag-jahmyr-gibbs","tag-jalen-pitre","tag-national-football-league","tag-new-england-patriots","tag-nfl","tag-san-francisco-49ers","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/842733","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=842733"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/842733\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/842734"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=842733"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=842733"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=842733"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}