CINCINNATI — Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase still was fuming after practice Thursday that a ball didn’t come his way after he sprung open during team drills against the Bears.
Perhaps he was annoyed by the cornerback across from him, too.
The Bears’ Jaylon Johnson played Chase, who is just two years removed from leading the league in catches, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, close during the joint practice.
‘‘Real good corner,’’ Chase said. ‘‘Pretty aggressive on a couple of plays.’’
Too aggressive?
‘‘I get jumped every day,’’ Chase said. ‘‘I get jumped for a living. I’ve gotten many yards [after] getting jumped at the line. That’s not aggressive.’’
Chase’s best catch — a jump ball up the right sideline — came with Tyrique Stevenson in coverage.
‘‘On the back end, you want to see stickiness in coverage,’’ coach Ben Johnson said before practice. ‘‘We want to be able to stay attached and try to make plays on the football. Our calling card a year ago was the takeaways. It would be great to get a couple of takeaways.’’
Jaylon Johnson’s performance was a good sign after he missed most of last season with a series of groin injuries.
‘‘I’ve seen improvement out of Jaylon,’’ defensive coordinator Dennis Allen said Wednesday. ‘‘I’ve seen some flashes that say, ‘Man, he’s looking a little bit more like what you expected him to look [like].’ ’’
Bagent out
Backup quarterback Tyson Bagent didn’t travel with the Bears to Cincinnati and is ‘‘week-to-week,’’ Ben Johnson said. A source said earlier this week that Bagent injured his hamstring during the Bears’ preseason victory Saturday against the Browns.
Bagent’s absence means the Bears have to make other plans for the preseason game Saturday against the Bengals. Veteran Case Keenum, who had a perfect 158.3 passer rating against the Browns, figures to get the majority of the Bears’ snaps. The only other quarterback on the team is rookie Miller Moss, who once played behind starter Caleb Williams at USC.
Johnson hasn’t formally announced whether his starters will play Saturday, but clues point to him sitting them. He played his starters a lot during the joint practice.
The Bears didn’t require players who played against the Browns to practice Sunday. Bagent didn’t practice Tuesday or Wednesday.
Edwards ramping up
Linebacker T.J. Edwards hurt his calf while training off-site before training camp and still isn’t participating in full practices. He trusts the trainers and coaches to ramp him up correctly.
Edwards is still annoyed about last season, which he started with a pulled hamstring that cost him seven games. He then broke his leg in the playoff game against the Packers.
‘‘I’m not used to missing anything,’’ he said. ‘‘So I’m not letting that happen here.’’
Highway signs
The Bengals’ outdoor facility is located a block from Paycor Stadium — players have to walk in cleats from their locker room to the three fields — and is located under a series of overpasses.
Fans watched practice from the overpass — technically, the end of the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge, which connects Ohio and Kentucky — Thursday. One even managed to wriggle to the opposite side of the fencing that lined the street.
Notes
After Johnson said he would pay particularly close attention to special teams, wide receiver Maurice Alexander returned a kickoff for a touchdown in a full-speed drill against the Bengals.
• Running back Kyle Monangai, who hurt his knee during practice Sunday and is considered week-to-week, stayed back at Halas Hall for rehab work.
• Safety Elijah Hicks, who’s on the physically unable-to-perform list, was padded up as part of his return-to-play protocol.
Their matchups have become must-watch in practice. Linebacker T.J. Edwards called it a collision of “two freaks of nature,” with Wright standing 6-5 and 325 pounds and the ultra-athletic Sweat attacking him full force at 6-6, 270.
Thieneman has progressed well at strong safety, playing in the box against the run and taking on tight ends one-on-one in pass coverage, and looks ready for the season.
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