Collin Johnson and Brett Rypien shine for Bears in weather-shortened Hall of Fame Game

CANTON, Ohio — If the Chicago Bears are considering keeping six receivers on their 53-man roster this season, veteran receiver Collin Johnson’s resume now includes a standout performance Thursday night in the Hall of Fame Game.

With the Bears’ starters and some key reserves sidelined against the Houston Texans, Johnson emerged as one of the best players on the field. He made three receptions for 56 yards and two touchdowns in a 21-17 Bears victory in a game that was called with 3:31 remaining in the third quarter due to inclement weather. Johnson also had a leaping reception for a 27-yard gain down the right sideline.

“I came into the game with a sense of gratitude and I was honored to have the opportunity to play this incredible game,” said Johnson, who missed the 2022 season with a torn Achilles tendon. “It’s been a long road for me with injuries and things like that. So I just want to do my best. I think I did that tonight.”

Johnson, a fifth-round draft pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2020, spent most of last season on the Bears’ practice squad but appeared in three games late in the season, starting on Christmas Eve against the Arizona Cardinals.

The Bears are loaded at receiver with DJ Moore, Keenan Allen and rookie Rome Odunze. Return specialist/receiver Velus Jones Jr. did not play Thursday. That could bode well for his position on the Bears’ roster, though coach Matt Eberflus described the return specialist position as a “wide open” competition.

What a catch! @Llamar_a_Johnson 🤯

📺: ESPN image.twitter.com/K6AHRs2NqI

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) August 2, 2024

That said, right now there appears to be one or two roster spots that Johnson, Tyler Scott, Dante Pettis and DeAndre Carter will have to compete for in training camp and the preseason.

What they can do on special teams is crucial. Johnson tackled Texans return specialist Steven Sims on the opening kickoff, marking the NFL’s first glimpse at the new way of running kickoffs.

“I was very honored because that’s the first tackle of this new kickoff rule,” Johnson said. “It was great. And I’m going to continue to grow. … Definitely, the speed and the tempo (of the new kickoff) is drastically different. It’s a lot faster.”

Scott returned two kickoffs for 40 yards. It was an unimpressive debut. He slid on his first attempt and appeared to miss his second. John Jackson, an undrafted rookie receiver, later had two returns of 59 yards, including a long one of 31.

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Pettis fumbled a punt in the third quarter. The Texans recovered the fumble at the Bears 38, but the Bears defense forced a third down before play was suspended. Pettis also had an 11-yard reception.

A different story played out for Johnson in front of a national audience. Coordinator Richard Hightower offered to take him off special teams when the good plays piled up for him on offense. But Johnson refused. He just wanted to play.

“For me, with my journey, with a lot of injuries and having to be patient, my goal tonight was just to give God glory with everything I did,” Johnson said. “I was really excited in the locker room because I’ve had such a long journey. This was the first time I got in the end zone since 2020. … I never stopped working. I never stopped keeping the faith, and I’m just going to keep building off of this.”

Bears quarterback Brett Rypien had a big night in Canton, throwing three touchdown passes. (Scott Galvin / USA Today)

Rypien is just killing it

The Bears signed veteran quarterback Brett Rypien to help with the development of No. 1 pick Caleb Williams. Rypien has been the Bears’ third quarterback throughout camp, behind Williams and Tyson Bagent, who started Thursday.

But Rypien proved against the Texans that he can still play well when needed. He completed 11 of 15 passes for 166 yards and three touchdowns. Rypien’s last start was a 20-3 loss by the Los Angeles Rams to the Green Bay Packers in November.

“This meant a lot to me tonight,” Rypien said. “After a year of my last start in Green Bay, it didn’t go the way I wanted it to. I had a bad taste in my mouth all offseason. I assumed I didn’t really know what this year was going to look like, even if I was going to have a chance to compete for anything. But I just kept working hard every day and said, ‘I’m going to do what I can and know how I play my best football and try to get back to that. ’ So when you put in the effort and it shows, it feels good.”

Rypien’s 27-yard pass to Johnson was similar to a recent completion in practice. They nearly connected on a second pass, but Johnson failed to complete the catch. The two veterans quickly established a connection.

“It was a pass, a catch (in practice), but it was a big play for us because it was a straight pass and he put it back, right in the spot that a big receiver like me likes to make,” Johnson said. “So I told him that was the perfect ball for me. I have a lot of confidence in making that play.”

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Williams and the headlines

Williams and other starters went through the Bears’ pregame warmup routine. For Williams, that included receiving snaps from centers Coleman Shelton and Ryan Bates, throwing passes and then stretching with the team.

Williams also threw passes to Moore, Allen and Odunze on the field at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium before warmups began.

The group also had some fun before leaving the field for warm-ups. The four players took turns throwing balls from the 20-yard box to the crossbar of the goal post.

.@Keenan13AllenI love image.twitter.com/4rq9UOAc5F

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) August 2, 2024

Eberflus explained after the match that there was a lot more going on.

Williams spent Thursday morning practicing with other players who weren’t playing. Williams was then introduced to the “game day function,” Eberflus said. It included going over the first 15 scheduled plays, hearing about important on-field benchmarks for pregame decision making and then participating in halftime adjustments.

Eberflus noted that college football halftimes are longer than the NFL version.

“You can start a whole new offense and go out there full speed,” Eberflus joked. “It’s fast (in the NFL).”

Who else played?

Many of general manager Ryan Poles’ draft picks took the field against the Texans: defensive end Austin Booker (fifth round, No. 144, 2024), defensive tackle Zacch Pickens (3-64, 2023), running back Roschon Johnson (4-115, 2023), receiver Tyler Scott (4-133, 2023), cornerback Terell Smith (5-165, 2023), defensive end Dominique Robinson (5-174, 2022), offensive lineman Ja’Tyre Carter (7-226, 2022) and safety Elijah Hicks (7-254, 2022).

Roschon Johnson started the game for Bagent. Khalil Herbert replaced him after Rypien took over, though Johnson (six carries, 24 yards) got one more series after that.

With rookie running back Ian Wheeler and veteran Travis Homer dealing with injuries, the Bears needed running backs to play. But Herbert’s spot behind Johnson still felt notable. Herbert, the Bears’ leading rusher last season, managed a 19-yard gain in the second quarter. He finished with 35 yards on four carries.

Running back Demetric Felton played in the third quarter. He was added to the roster on Sunday. Felton had three carries for 14 yards and two receptions for 10 yards.

Corliss Waitman handled all of the Bears’ punts. However, rookie Tory Taylor was the 12th man on the field for a kickoff. He held the ball for Cairo Santos before immediately leaving the field, as the new rules dictate.

(Top photo of Collin Johnson and Texans cornerback Troy Pride Jr.: David Dermer/Associated Press)