Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson and some players met with reporters Wednesday at Halas Hall in Lake Forest as they continued their Organized Team Activities practices.

Wednesday was the second time reporters had a chance to watch the Bears take part in OTAs as the team progressed through its offseason workouts. Players took part in positional and team drills without live tackling as they continue to build a new foundation this offseason.

The Bears will wrap up the week with OTA practices before starting a three-day mandatory minicamp on Tuesday. Here are three of the most interesting things the Bears said Wednesday.

On attendance, injuries

For a second straight OTA practice open to reporters, the Bears had near-perfect attendance for the voluntary portion of the offseason. They even returned some players from injury.

Defensive end Dayo Odeyingbo and linebacker T.J. Edwards were seen at practice for the first time this offseason. They each took part in some drills at the beginning of practice, but didn’t do team drills.

Odeyingbo is working his way back from a torn Achilles tendon that he suffered midway through last year. Edwards appeared in his first practice after he suffered a fractured fibula in the NFC Wild Card game in January.

The Bears were also without a couple of their starting defensive starters. Defensive end Montez Sweat didn’t appear in his second practice open to reporters, although that doesn’t mean he hasn’t attended practices.

Slot cornerback Kyler Gordon didn’t practice Wednesday after he was limited at last week’s open OTAs. It’s not been an optimal way for Gordon to transition back after appearing in five games last season, including the playoffs.

“This spring was going to be a springboard for us to get going in the right direction,” Johnson said. “So we’re still working through that. We’re still trying to get that availability piece going. We know he’s a good player when he’s out there, but trust level is a huge thing for this team, for this coaching staff, for the locker room, and you can only develop that trust by being available.”

Bears wide receiver Rome Odunze also provided some insight into his foot injury that limited him to 14 games, including the playoffs. Although Odunze didn’t make excuses, he said the injury and rehabbing it affected the way he played last season.

Odunze feels good and hasn’t missed practice this offseason. But the foot is something Odunze will have to stay on top of with rehab and training for the foreseeable future.

“This is my new normal,” Odunze said. “And it’s not from a standpoint that I’m always in pain, but the way my foot broke, there are calluses in there that create a different type of foot structure with those bones, different types of things that kind of shift things around. So my new normal was kind of what I am going into. And I don’t think that’s anything that’s going to prohibit me from making plays, but I feel like with the break it’s just like when you tear your [acromioclavicular joint], it’s never really back to normal.”

On Caleb Williams’s ‘Madden’ cover honor

Bears quarterback Caleb Williams made history Wednesday morning when the “Madden” video game franchise announced that he would be on the cover of its game for the upcoming season. Williams became the first Bears player to appear on the cover; former offensive lineman Roberto Garza appeared on the cover of the Spanish version of the game.

The news earned different reactions at Halas Hall.

“No reaction,” Johnson said when he was asked about the announcement.

But Williams’ teammates, especially those who grew up playing the game, understood what the honor of appearing on the cover meant.

“Yeah, that’s tough,” Bears cornerback Tyrique Stevenson said. “It’s tough. It’s tough. I told him he has to sign mine. Definitely proud of him for that. I’m honored to be on a team with someone who is on the Madden cover.”

One of the covers shows Williams doing a “Jumpman” logo, similar to former Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan. Williams made his version of the pose famous when he completed a pass to Odunze during the team’s NFC Wild Card win over the Green Bay Packers.

Odunze didn’t take credit for being on the cover since the pass was intended for him. But he was proud of the accomplishment for Williams.

“I loved it. I loved it,” Odunze said. “He had a spectacular season, and the cover was dope, his kind of little MJ tribute. I know the Chicagoans are happy to see that one. It was kind of a throwback. It was pretty cool.”

On joint practices, preseason

Johnson confirmed Wednesday that the Bears would travel to Cincinnati for a joint practice against the Bengals on Aug. 20.

It will be the second time the two teams practice against each other in three years. They also squared off against each other during the regular season last year, where Williams led a game-winning drive in the final minute.

“This spring was going to be a springboard for us to get going in the right direction. So we’re still working through that. We’re still trying to get that availability piece going. We know he’s a good player when he’s out there but trust level is a huge thing for this team, for this coaching staff, for the locker room and you can only develop that trust by being available.”

—  Ben Johnson, Chicago Bears head coach on cornerback Kyler Gordon

Johnson left open the chance that the Bears could hold another joint practice. The team last held two joint practices against the Miami Dolphins and the Buffalo Bills, both at Halas Hall.

“Yeah, we’re still working through training camp scheduling right now,” Johnson said. “But I know [Bengals head coach] Zac [Taylor] came out and said we’ll go against Cincinnati. We’re committed to that. I’m going to talk to him in the near future. Hopefully, we can nail down some details. But there’s potentially more than just one this year.”

Those could take place against either of the Bears’ remaining preseason opponents.

The NFL also announced the preseason schedule Wednesday. The Bears will host the Cleveland Browns at Soldier Field at noon on Aug. 15. They’ll play at the Bengals at 6 p.m. on Aug. 22 and at the Tennessee Titans at 5 p.m. on Aug. 29.