Bears safety Jaquan Brisker celebrates recovering from a fumble during a game last season against the Green Bay Packers.
AP

When Chicago Bears new safety Kevin Byard looks at Jaquan Brisker, he sees a younger version of himself. In Brisker, Byard sees an enthusiastic, young player who wants to hit hard and play physical all over the court.

“Very hungry,” Byard said. “He wants to be an All-Pro, and I love that about him.”

Byard and Brisker will play alongside each other when the season opens on Sept. 8. Byard is one of the few newcomers on a defense that largely returns everyone from last year.

The Bears signed Byard to a two-year, $15 million contract in March, bringing him in to replace former Bears safety Eddie Jackson, who recently signed with the Baltimore Ravens.

Byard and Brisker are already hard at work building their chemistry on the field. Quarterbacks and wide receivers often get a lot of credit for being able to communicate on the field without having to talk, but that’s a skill that can be just as important for the safeties on the back end of the defense.

“It takes time, I won’t deny that,” Byard said of that nonverbal chemistry.

When Byard, now in his ninth NFL season, was a junior safety for the Tennessee Titans, it took a year or two for him and teammate Kenny Vaccaro to communicate on that level. But it varies from player to player. Later in his career, he quickly built chemistry with fellow Titans safety Amani Hooker.

“I think as I get older, it gets a little easier to deal with guys,” Byard said. “And really, it’s just a matter of learning each other’s playstyles. What (Brisker) likes to do, obviously, he’s an aggressive guy, he wants to get in the box, he wants to blitz, he wants to do those things. So sometimes you just have to give them the freedom to do what they want to do.”

Brisker appreciates the Bears bringing in a veteran to bolster a secondary that was successful late last season. Byard has never been afraid to speak out, and that has become apparent in Halas Hall.

“His presence is felt every day, especially his presence as a veterinarian, especially in the conference room,” Brisker said. “He’s very vocal. He talks, he tries to tell what he sees and things like that.”

Two-minute interception exercise

During a two-minute drill on Sunday, Williams was trying to lead the offense into field goal range with the clock ticking down when he threw a sidearm pass over the middle of the field intended for receiver DJ Moore. Sophomore cornerback Tyrique Stevenson made a nice play on the ball, catching an interception on a leaping attempt.

Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron said the drill was meant to be the end of the first half, not the end of the game.

“He takes a good shot there and tries to get the offset throw, but it didn’t quite work out and (the) defense made a good play,” Waldron said. “The mindset and knowing when those are the right opportunities, like that situation there, knowing when we’re in or out of goal range, outside, inside — all those things come into play.”

The drive didn’t score any points for the offense, but Stevenson simply made a nice pass with the ball.

“I didn’t even think he made it at first, but when he made the play, it was awesome to see,” Byard said. “Tyrique is a young guy who had a really good ending last year.”

Before the interception, Williams connected with Keenan Allen for a first down on a key third-and-10. He also found running back Roschon Johnson for back-to-back short gains.

For the second straight day, defenseman Gervon Dexter leapt to grab the ball and break up a pass at the line of scrimmage.

Record attendance

Rookie receiver Rome Odunze returned to practice after missing Saturday for personal reasons.

“He’s a guy that just keeps picking up where he left off and getting better and better – just like Caleb – from the time he was gone until he came back here with his knowledge of what we do,” Waldron said.

Rookie offensive tackle Kiran Amegadjie and tight end Gerald Everett sat out Sunday with injuries. The team activated Everett from the non-football injury list on Sunday, so he is expected to return to practice on Monday.

Left tackle Braxton Jones and linebacker TJ Edwards both appeared to be limited. Head coach Matt Eberflus previously said they would be limited at the start of camp due to minor injuries.

Tight end Marcedes Lewis, receiver Nsimba Webster and linebacker Noah Sewell did not appear to attend practice.