Episode 4 of Hard Knocks with the Bears was an improvement and the most memorable of the summer to this point.
Best moment: Improved practice insight
This season of Hard Knocks has been disappointing and low energy by many standards, but last night’s episode was clearly the best of the season through four episodes. It provided more depth and drama, but on top of that the practice insight early in the episode was much better than it had been. We saw undrafted rookie running back Ian Wheeler getting coached up, and he responded by taking a big hit to lowering the boom himself later in practice, which got everyone fired up. We hadn’t seen much competitiveness to this point, so it was an improvement on the season.
Worst moment: Ian Wheeler tears his ACL
Unfortunately, Wheeler—continuing a strong summer, including a touchdown reception that was called back—injured his knee in the preseason finale versus the Chiefs. He knew something was wrong as he came limping off the field, and it turned out to be a torn ACL, ending his rookie campaign before it starts. In probably the realest moment of this season of Hard Knocks, he hugged his mom Beaura for a while in the aftermath of the injury. As a silver lining, Wheeler had a good meeting with GM Ryan Poles, and they discussed how this will be sort of a redshirt situation for him—and that he’s part of this team and will be able to try to make the roster in 2025.
Funniest moment: Austin Reed’s speech
Much of the episode followed backup quarterbacks Tyson Bagent, Brett Rypien, and Austin Reed—including a trip to the Willis Tower (better known as the Sears Tower) in Chicago, where they went inFerris Bueller’s Day Off. But the funniest moment was when Reed broke down the offense before they ran the Victory formation, sarcastically comparing the 4-0 preseason Bears to some of the greatest teams in NFL history. The backup quarterbacks did a nice job, and they all seemed to have a good rapport with teammates.
Underrated moment: Following Adrian Colbert
Another storyline providing much more depth in this week’s episode was following journeyman safety Adrian Colbert, who has been with ten NFL teams since being drafted in the seventh round in 2017. Colbert talked about how he was struck by a car while on his bicycle as a nine-year-old—being told he would never play football again only to make the NFL and stick around. Colbert clearly has excellent character and perspective, and he showed up in the preseason finale with a fantastic pass deflection on a deep ball intended for Kadarius Toney.
Best quote: Ryan Poles to Ian Wheeler
“My door is always open. My phone is always on. If you want to talk, if you want to cry—whatever you need to do—I am here for you.”
MVP: Velus Jones Jr.
The transition to running back for Velus Jones Jr. has gone very well, and he saw extensive action while trying to secure a roster spot at Kansas City. A day that included 13 carries for 111 yards and a touchdown was capped by a 39-yard touchdown where he zigged and zagged to show off his speed. Chicago might have something with Jones in his new position.