How teams line up in training camp and OTAs often tells even more than a preseason game can reveal.The Bears continued to say plenty with Wednesday's practice, and that especially pertained to two players in particular. One of them is wide receiver Kaden Davis and the other is safety Xavier Woods. Ironically, the two were battling each other at the end of Tuesday's practice with Woods making an easy interception and Davis failing to knock down the throw and prevent it.The Bears went through 7-on-7, red zone and otherwise, and also a very brief full-team period without pads or hitting. They had tackle Darnell Wright back and never was really fully obvious he had been injured on Tuesday as it was also possible he left practice because the brace he was wearing was causing him some discomfort and he had it off immediately at the time. He has a history of elbow/arm/shoulder issues from last year and has worn a harness type of brace.Kaden Davis muffs a punt and quickly picks it up.Don't wanna be doing that when you're on the roster bubble.— Harrison Graham (@HGrahamNFL) August 23, 2026What was very apparent was Woods has been an acquisition whose future is not etched in stone. His cap hit on his contract is only $1.125 million as he came on board with only a $50,000 bonus. So the Bears would eat practically nothing if he failed to stick with the team.The reason this seems relevant is safety Elijah Hicks has stepped right into the fray and worked Wednesday in team practice after coming off the PUP list. Not only did he do work in red zone, etc., but he played with the first team while Woods was with backups. At one point in backup red zone work, Woods was burned for a touchdown by receiver Scotty Montgomery. In that series of plays, he was lined up in the secondary with Hicks on the other side at safety. Hicks is highly thought of by the staff as an all-purpose player. Special teams coordinator Richard Hightower counted him among the potential special teams leaders. A real leader"We want to foster competition, we want to foster the leadership and those leaders stepping up, taking the bull by the horns," Hightower said before Wednesday's practice. "Daniel Hardy is one of those guys. He is, man, the maturation process in this kid from when he first got here to now, to where he’ll speak up in a meeting and we’ll give him the floor and what he sees and how he can help a young kid. He’ll talk through things."He wasn't the only one."D’Marco Jackson is that way," Hightower said. "Elijah Hicks is that way. So we’ve been fortunate to have some guys that, what we call, they have a little crap in their neck and they’re not afraid to speak up and tell somebody when it’s right and tell somebody when it’s wrong. "So we always want to foster that, always want that. I love that."Luther Burden was among Bears players back at Wednesday's practice, his first since a leg injury early in camp. | Chicago Bears On SI Photo: Gene ChamberlainIt's much tougher to lose leaders in any group at cutdown time. So Hicks also has this working his way after 15 starts and 61 games played in Chicago. Woods has a background in the league but not the Chicago background. At this point, because of how they've used Woods it isn't entirely clear he'd make the team. That could become apparent in Saturday's final preseason game. Often, veteran players who are likely to be cut will find themselves playing late against other players who could be cut.Cam Lewis continued to work at safety Wednesday with starters most of the time, alongside Dillon Thieneman. The exceptions were a few reps Hicks had with starters but Woods did not get starting reps. The Bears are quietly building one of the best DB rooms in the league:- Coby Bryant- Dillon Thieneman- Tyrique Stevenson - Jaylon Johnson- Kyler Gordon- Zah Frazier- Malik Muhammad - Josh Blackwell - Jaylon Jones - Terell Smith- Elijah Hicks - Cam Lewis— Caleb Williams Fan Club (@CalebFC18) April 25, 2026As for Davis, keep an eye again this week on his return duties. Davis' speed has been apparent on offense and he had everyone trumpeting his cause after the first preseason game with four catches and 88 yards, but it would be very easy for the Bears to keep only five wide receivers because of tight end Colston Loveland's ability to play that position. If they preferred six, then Davis isn't a lock because of the special teams and other assets both Montgomery and Ray-Ray McCloud can provide besides their experience as NFL receivers. Compliments but not the right oneHightower's complimentary talk about Davis seemed to lack the real necessary phrases to indicate he's made it. While he praised Davis' perseverance, he did not produce positive comments about Davis' contributions on special teams. This is definitely a deciding factor for the sixth receiver spot, and Davis had a lackluster second preseason game as a return man.Xavier Woods getting ready for jugs machine! pic.twitter.com/STXrLgFfyB— Gary Ross (@gaross18) August 25, 2026"He works his tail off, really a joy to be around," Hightower said of Davis. "He's like a sponge, you know. There's a kid that's fought on multiple, you know, obviously released or cut from multiple teams, but has fought time in and time out. I got an ultimate respect for Kaden Davis. "It's kind of like Kalif Raymond's story. Kalif had been cut so many different times. And then special teams, you deal with a lot of guys that have had that happen to them, but do they have the perseverance to push through? And I think Kaden does and I'm happy and excited to see what he'll bring to the table this week. He'll get more opportunities."Taking advantage of opportunities is what really matters at this time of training camp/preseason, not getting them. Davis needs to do it at a much greater level in special teams than in the last game, and even as a receiver. He didn't make a catch last week after four in the first game.— Cream sleeve (@creamsleeve) August 25, 2026Sign Up For the Bears Daily Digest - OnSI’s Free Chicago Bears NewsletterAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow