Collin Johnson, Brett Rypien star for Bears in weather-shortened Hall of Fame Game (2024)

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 an outstanding performance Thursday night in the Hall of Fame Game.

With the Bears’ starters and some key reserves sitting out against the Houston Texans, Johnson stood out as one of the best players on the field. He made three catches for 56 yards and two touchdowns in a 21-17 win for the Bears in a game that was called with 3:31 left in the third quarter because of inclement weather. Johnson also had a leaping catch for a 27-yard gain down the right sideline.

“I kind of entered the game with just a sense of gratitude, and I felt honored to have the opportunity to play this amazing game,” said Johnson, who missed the 2022 season with a torn Achilles tendon. “It’s been a long journey for me with injuries and stuff like that. So I just want to put my best foot forward. I think I did that tonight.”

Johnson, a fifth-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2020, spent most of last season on the Bears’ practice squad. But he 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. Returner/receiver Velus Jones Jr. didn’t play Thursday. It could be a good sign for his standing on the Bears’ roster, though coach Matt Eberflus described returner as a “wide open” competition.

What a catch by @Call_In_Johnson 🤯

📺: ESPN pic.twitter.com/K6AHRs2NqI

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) August 2, 2024

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

What they’re able to do on special teams is crucial. Johnson tackled Texans returner Steven Sims on the opening kickoff, which was the NFL’s first look at the new way of doing kickoffs.

“I felt super honored because that’s the first tackle of this new kickoff rule,” Johnson said. “It was super cool. And I’m just going to keep growing. … Definitely, the speed and the timing of (the new kickoff) is just drastically different. It’s so much faster.”

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

Pettis muffed a punt in the third quarter. The Texans recovered the loose ball at the Bears’ 38, but the Bears defense forced a three-and-out before the game was suspended. Pettis also had one catch for 11 yards.

A different story unfolded for Johnson in front of a national audience. Coordinator Richard Hightower offered to remove him from special teams when the good plays for him on offense added up. But Johnson declined. He just wanted to play.

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

Rypien just ripping it

The Bears signed veteran quarterback Brett Rypien to help with the development of No. 1 pick Caleb Williams. Rypien has been the Bears’ No. 3 quarterback throughout camp behind Williams and Tyson Bagent, who started Thursday.

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

“This one meant a lot for me tonight,” Rypien said. “Sitting on 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 the entire offseason. I took the approach that I didn’t really know how this year was going to look, even if I was going to have an opportunity to compete for anything. But I just kept working hard every single day and said, ‘Just 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 work and it shows, it feels good.”

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

“It was one pass, one catch (in practice), but it was a big-time play for us because it was a go ball and he put it back shoulder, right on the money, where a big receiver like myself likes it,” Johnson said. “So I told him that’s the perfect ball for me. I feel very confident in me making that play.”

Williams and the starters

Williams and other starters went through the Bears’ pregame warmup routine. For Williams, that included taking 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 before warmups. The four players took turns throwing balls from the 20 at the goal post crossbar.

Eberflus explained after the game that plenty more happened.

Williams’ Thursday morning was spent in walk-throughs with other players who weren’t playing in the game. Williams was then introduced to the “game day function,” Eberflus said. It included going through the first 15 scripted plays, hearing about important landmarks on the field for their decision-making before the game and then later taking part in the halftime adjustments.

Eberflus pointed out how college football’s halftimes are longer than the NFL’s version.

“You can put a whole new offense in and come out running the wishbone,” Eberflus joked. “It’s fast (in the NFL).”

Who else played?

Plenty 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 with 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 place behind Johnson still felt notable. Herbert, the Bears’ lead back last season, ripped off a 19-yard gain in the second quarter. He finished with 35 yards on four rushes.

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

Corliss Waitman handled all the punts for the Bears. Rookie Tory Taylor, though, 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)

Adam L. Jahns covers the Chicago Bears as a senior writer for The Athletic. He previously worked at the Chicago Sun-Times, where he started in 2005 and covered the Blackhawks (2009-12) and Bears (2012-19). He co-hosts the "Hoge & Jahns" podcast. Follow Adam on Twitter @adamjahns