LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Bears head coach Ben Johnson told his players on Tuesday morning what to expect from their afternoon practice.

Physicality. Intensity. And some live tackling in a session focused on short-yardage situations and reps near the goal line. Johnson moved the practice back to midday, when temperatures would rise.

That was true in two ways. The Bears dealt with the weather. They also went after each other in as physical a practice as any player interviewed could recall.

The defense in particular seemed poised for a battle and played like it.

“Coach Ben this morning brought it out of everybody,” cornerback Nahshon Wright said in a Tuesday press conference. “He told us the offense was going to come at us. It was good to see those guys get after [it]. We got after it pretty well the whole practice. I think we only had one live period, but once it got going, every period just became live.”

The original live period was a tone setter that led to defenders tackling offensive players to the ground on a regular basis. Tempers naturally flared with four scuffles between offensive and defensive players.

Receiver Tyler Scott and safety Jaquan Brisker got after it following a run play with tough blocking, which led to Rome Odunze getting his helmet ripped off in the ensuing melee. Running back Roschon Johnson and safety Jonathan Owens were getting after each other all day, and Johnson eventually threw a football into Owens’ gut and the two grappled to the ground. Left tackle Braxton Jones got into it with defensive end Austin Booker, and then defensive tackle Gervon Dexter stepped in and pushed Jones to the ground.

Running back D’Andre Swift got frustrated with edge rusher Dayo Odeyingbo and threw a ball at him. He got penalized during a move-the-ball drill, which got Swift pulled from the rep.

Defenders were chirping during and after practice, but all were friends again once practice ended.

“It was just camp, football, hot, tempers flare, getting competitive,” Roschon Johnson said. “That’s all it was.”

Johnson also said it was bound to happen in a practice like that.

Cornerback Tyrique Stevenson thrives in those practices and knows how to get under an opponent’s skin. He even joined the offensive huddle once just to poke fun.

“I feel like that’s what we should practice like every day,” Stevenson said. “That’s the message the team shot to us, the coaching staff and everybody — that’s what we need to see out there every day to be a championship defense and championship offense. Moving forward, that’s what we want to say at practice.”

Teams probably can’t practice at that level each day while maintaining health, but it’s fair to expect that intensity during Friday’s joint practice against the Miami Dolphins.

Ben Johnson clearly set a tone with this practice. The skirmishes never got out of hand, but he and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen let them go and never shied away from the relentless intensity.

The Bears want to be known for their physicality, as a team that will never back down. The players understood Tuesday’s assignment and what will be expected in competitions moving forward. These Bears won’t be bullied.

“I told one of the rookies: ‘I think that’s the best we ever hit while i was being here,’” Stevenson said. “But it felt good to see the guys ramp up and just to see that everyone came ready to practice today. Whether we messed up plays on defense, whether the offense messed up on plays, got right back on the ball and went back at it.”

Injury update

Tight end Cole Kmet left Tuesday’s practice with a Bears athletic trainer midway through the session. The Bears did not have an update on the nature of Kmet’s ailment, its severity or the veteran’s health status overall.

Offensive lineman Doug Kramer Jr. also left the practice with an injury after pulling up lame following a running play. Linebacker Carl Jones Jr. missed the session with a foot injury. Offensive linemen Bill Murray (undisclosed) and Kiran Amegadjie (leg) and receiver Miles Boykin (groin) were also unavailable.

Running back Deion Hankins (concussion) was cleared to return.

Defensive lineman Shemar Turner (ankle) and cornerback Zah Frazier (personal) continue to miss time.

Other practice notes

While Tuesday’s physicality was the main takeaway, there were some nice plays made on both sides of the ball. The best was a perfectly-placed deep shot from QB Caleb Williams to WR Rome Odunze, with CB Nashon Wright in tight coverage. RB Roschon Johnson had some tough goal line runs, including consecutive attempts that he slammed into the end zone. LG Joe Thuney asserted himself in this practice, mostly notably on a kick-out block where he took S Jaquan Brisker out of the play on a long run from RB D’Andre Swift.

The offense was inconsistent as always, most notably during an 11-on-11 drill where the first team had three false starts over seven reps. LB Tremaine Edmunds also broke up a key third down pass from Williams during a drill where the offense had a lead and tried (in vain) to run out the clock.

The Bears continue to rotate their left tackles, with Braxton Jones and Ozzy Trapilo alternating with the first unit.