Bears

Bears HC Ben Johnson praised QB Caleb Williams for his body of work during training camp and the preseason and said he’s locked in and improving.

“He’s really been locked in,” Johnson said, via Around The NFL. “Anytime you’re a young player, there’s usually a couple of steps forward and one step back, and that’s really been the story of his training camp. He and I have been really open and honest about that as we’ve gone through. He’s had some really good practices, and he’s had a couple where it’s like, ‘That isn’t good enough, bud.’ I thought really the three days of practice we had this week and this game were the most he’s stacked up good days in a row right now. The challenge is going to be to keep pushing in that direction.”

Williams isn’t satisfied and admitted that he didn’t always have his best foot forward.

“I think I had a couple of those (poor) practices throughout camp,” Williams said. “I felt like I took two steps forward, small things that I felt like I got over. Then I took a step back, probably. It’s just being able to keep that mindset, the growth mindset, keep growing, keep getting after it.”

• Bears GM Ryan Poles praised QB Tyson Bagent: “Tyson’s a stud. There isn’t a harder worker on this football team than Tyson Bagent.” (Ruthie Polinsky)

Packers

Packers rookie OT Anthony Belton wound up with five penalties, one of which wiped out a touchdown, in the team’s last preseason game, which led to the second-round pick having a conversation with HC Matt LaFleur as he walked off the field.

“Just drive killers,” Belton said, via Ryan Wood of PackersNews.com. “All the penalties were drive killers. That touchdown was called back because of self-inflicted penalties. Stuff like that can’t happen. I’ve just got to grow up. I’ve got to get out of those old habits. I’ve got to learn quick. And that’s something I’m on myself about. That’s not directly what he said. That’s what I’m on myself about.”

Vikings

Vikings DB Josh Metellus discussed his role in the team’s defense and how he’s a catalyst that can make an impact from a variety of positions.

“So we call it the ‘X-Man’ spot,” Metellus said, via NY Times. “I’m all Xs … where I started to go with it, then you talk about the blue lady in ‘X-Men,’ Mystique. Her being able to just fit different roles while still being elite at what she does.”

Metellus said that he often gets his brain picked by coaches because of the amount of information he’s given on a weekly basis.

“Throughout the week, it’s cool to have certain coaches, like the outside linebackers coach, to come up and talk to me about ball. Then I get the D-line coach, the linebacker coach. It’s just really cool to be able to talk to all the coaches,” he said. “To be honest, it almost feels like I’m a coach.”