Sports

Bears assistant Antwaan Randle El helps bring offense to life in preseason blowout

Published

2 hours ago

August 15, 2026

CHICAGO — You weren’t expecting this, were you, Chicago?

A play-caller controversy coming out of the Bears’ preseason opener? With offensive mastermind Ben Johnson putting wide receivers coach and assistant head coach Antwaan Randle El in charge of the call sheet for Saturday afternoon’s second half? Well, here we are — with a lot to discuss after the Bears’ 34-10 trouncing of the Cleveland Browns at Soldier Field.

We’re kidding, of course. About the controversy that is. But there wasn’t much to laugh at in the results Randle El’s offensive play calling produced — 235 yards,12 first downs and 24 points after halftime.

“Has anybody ever had a better first outing than Antwaan Randle El?” quarterback Tyson Bagent wondered aloud after observing that second-half eruption. “That’s just who he is. He’s always prepared. He knows the ins and outs of the playbook. So really, it was not surprising — at least for us on the sideline.”

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Johnson had his own commendation for Randle El and the way he so quickly synced up with quarterbacks Case Keenum and Miller Moss.

“He did a phenomenal job,” Johnson said. “He was part of the quarterbacks’ meeting (Friday) night and we were talking about what was on the call sheet and their favorites and all that. I think it was a phenomenal experience for him. I know our guys really rallied around that.”

Yep, this is some of the fun that comes to life on August weekends where it’s not just the players fighting for bigger roles and putting together resumes. Randle El, just two days shy of his 47th birthday, leaned into his mini-audition and performed, plucking from the playbook and communicating his calls to Johnson, who then let the quarterbacks know what was ordered.

So what stood out Saturday?

Bears wide receivers coach and assistant head coach Antwaan Randle El called plays in the second half Saturday when the offense produced 24 points. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

“For one, he liked to throw it,” said Keenum, who passed for 169 yards with two touchdowns across three drives. “He told us he would. And that was when the forecast called for a ton of rain. Which I don’t mind. I like that. We know where we’re cutting. They don’t.

“But it felt comfortable. I felt like I knew what he was trying to get. We call it ‘play caller’s intent.’ And he did a great job of, whatever the situation was, feeling it out and getting to a play that gave us a good chance.”

The Bears’ longest play Saturday: a 49-yard Keenum touchdown pass to running back Salvon Ahmed early in the third quarter. That was a screen play with the football caught 7 yards behind the line of scrimmage. Yet there was plenty of beauty folded into the entire sequence, particularly with some of the clunkiness that has occurred in the Bears’ screen concepts during training camp.

For starters, Keenum did his part, calmly lofting his pass over the top of defensive end Adin Huntington. And the Bears’ blockers were on it, too, with linemen Wesley French, Caden Barnett, Logan Jones and Mason Murphy all getting into space ahead of the play.

Receiver Kaden Davis, meanwhile, who began the play with the role of clearing his defender out, ended up delivering a key downfield block.

Ahmed, though, did the hardest work with a combination of vision, burst and instinct, cutting across the field near the 30 and outrunning Browns linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio to the south end zone.

Said Johnson: “We always talk to those screen runners that when they get the ball in their hands, try to get vertical for a few steps. And then it turns into a punt return after that. That’s certainly what that one looked like as he was taking it across the field.”

Added Keenum: “Those cutbacks, crosscourt, when you have a guy like that with speed and the vision for that are (huge).”

Keenum made sure to let his fellow quarterbacks know he had recorded an explosive touchdown pass.

“You go home and you’re able to tell your wife and kids that you threw a 50-yard touchdown,” Bagent said. “It all counts as yards.”

Again, it’s mid-August. The significance of the on-field product in the preseason — with so many reserves and roster hopefuls playing for both teams — must always have the proper context frame around it. And that will remain the case as the Bears’ coaches and front-office evaluators zero in on a day of production that included a pair of sacks from defensive end Jamree Kromah, two interceptions from cornerback Beanie Bishop and 88 receiving yards from Davis.

Johnson had another number stat circled on his notes — just two penalties Saturday, a defensive holding foul against rookie Malik Muhammad and a false start by tight end Qadir Ismail.

“We haven’t had a practice yet where we have had that few fouls,” Johnson said. “That was encouraging to see.”

Randle El’s comfort behind the wheel was also encouraging. Now in his eighth season as an NFL assistant coach and with his nine-season playing career to draw on, Randle El has aspirations of continuing to climb the ladder. And Johnson was emphatic Saturday afternoon in voicing his belief that the Bears’ receivers coach has all the ability in the world to become a coordinator or an eventual head coach.

To that latter possibility, Keenum has few doubts, drawn to Randle El’s library of knowledge, his mastery of Johnson’s offense and his ability to relay that to players.

“I know he’s going to be a head coach,” Keenum said. “I think his demeanor in front of the team, his leadership qualities are top-notch. Some of the best I’ve been around. His relatability to players? I mean, it’s the fact that he’s been there, done that with just about everything. And there’s no, for lack of a better word, coachspeak to him. It’s all real.”

That includes Saturday’s results.

Sports

Chesterfld 0 – 1 Fleetwood

Published

10 seconds ago

August 16, 2026

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Veteran striker Ched Evans scored the only goal of the game, finding the net against one of his former clubs to give Fleetwood Town an opening day 1-0 victory at Chesterfield.

It was a frustrating afternoon for Chesterfield, who were also beaten by Fleetwood in the Carabao Cup last week.

Evans shot narrowly wide from close range and Will Davies saw his effort beaten away by keeper Ryan Boot before the goal, which came in the 35th minute. It was a superb strike, with Evans sending an audacious lob over Boot from around 30 yards out.

Lee Bonis went closest to scoring for the home side before the break, first putting a low shot wide and then heading off target from a great position.

Lewis McCann threatened to add a second goal, forcing a save from Boot after running at the defence.

At the other end, Jay Lynch protected Fleetwood’s lead, getting down smartly to save from Fraser Bryden.

Chesterfield enjoyed plenty of possession but failed to force an equaliser as the visitors defended resolutely.

What the result means and next fixtures…

Sports

Charlton 2 – 1 Derby

Published

7 minutes ago

August 16, 2026

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Tyreece Campbell’s impressive start to the new season continued as his 80th-minute goal earned Charlton a 2-1 victory over Derby at The Valley.

It capped off a week to forget for the Rams after Saudi government official Turki Alalshikh’s takeover collapsed on Monday.

Sammie Szmodics, who had also netted in the EFL Cup loss to Lincoln, had put Derby into a lead at the halfway point.

But Lloyd Jones, who signed a new two-year contract on Friday, headed the Addicks level before Campbell produced an excellent finish to seal maximum points for Nathan Jones’ side.

Charlton had started in positive fashion with Billy Koumetio heading wide from an early Sonny Carey corner.

Karlan Grant, making his 100th appearance for the Addicks having rejoined in the summer, shot straight at Jacob Widell Zetterstrom before teeing up a chance for Carey but the attacking midfielder produced a horrible miskick in the 16th minute.

Derby enjoyed a spell of possession before they went ahead.

There had been a warning when Szmodics got on the end of Joe Ward’s low cross but his first-time finish was saved by Charlton keeper Will Mannion. But moments later he made no mistake from inside the penalty area after being picked out by Morris.

Charlton finished the first half asking a few more defensive questions and Taylor made a sliding block from a goal-bound shot by Danny McNamara. Zetterstrom also saved with his legs when Campbell attempted to squeeze the ball home at the near post.

Referee Ben Speedie ignored home appeals for a penalty when Carey went down from a challenge by Lewis Travis.

Szmodics, who looked to be troubled by a niggle in the warm-up, was forced off in the 54th minute. He was replaced by new signing Alex Mowatt.

Charlton levelled in the 61st minute through Jones. The centre-back, captaining the side in the absence of Greg Docherty, headed home Grant’s dinked cross from the left of the penalty area.

Mannion, who looked nervy dealing with crosses, went full stretch to turn Oscar Fraulo’s 20-yard effort around his left upright.

Campbell was the most dangerous outlet for the Addicks and produced a fine strike, on his weaker left foot, to put the south Londoners in front for the first time on the afternoon.

It was the 22-year-old’s second goal of the season, only one fewer than he managed in the whole of the previous campaign.

There were eight minutes of stoppage time added but Charlton fended off the late Derby pressure, with Morris only able to send Max Johnston’s cross straight at Mannion.

The managers

Charlton’s Nathan Jones:

“I’m really pleased – the result is everything and we’ve bedded in a lot of new signings. We had a captain’s goal where he gets over the back and scores a great header.

“With TC, he gets in those positions all the time and one-v-one he is a threat. We just want the outcomes from him.

“Last week he had a similar chance, went outside and hit the bar with a rasper. Then he cut inside and hit the corner (to score against Cheltenham in the EFL Cup).

“We are in really advanced negotiations with him. We’re hoping we can get that done.

“There are 45 more games. Last season we had a really good start – we had that momentum after coming up – and once we picked up a few injuries we didn’t have the squad to cope with that. This season we have got the squad to cope with it a little bit more.”

Derby’s John Eustace:

“I’m really disappointed to lose. I didn’t think there was much in the game.

“We limited Charlton to no chances, really, so the two goals we conceded were really sloppy from a defensive point of view. If we want to pick up points then we’ve got to be better than that.

“We didn’t stop the cross or defend the cross itself. It’s too easy for the lad to get the header on it. The second goal, we are in a really good position in their area and then we don’t get the defensive structure right behind the ball. It was a lack of communication. We have got to defend the shot better.

“That is the first time that team has played together. There are some tired legs in there. We’ve got Fozzy (Craig Forsyth) at centre-half who is 37 and doing terrific.

“The effort and attitude of the group was sensational today, as it always is.

“Sammie had a slight tweak in the warm-up, so it was a big ask for him to start. He’s such a top player at this level, he took his goal sensationally well, we’ve just got to hope we’re not losing him for much time.”

What the result means and next fixtures…

Sports

Portsmouth 1 – 3 QPR

Published

12 minutes ago

August 16, 2026

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Ilias Chair scored twice as QPR came from behind to beat Portsmouth 3-1 and claim their first win at Fratton Park in 26 years.

Pompey dominated the opening half an hour and took the lead through Terry Devlin’s long-range screamer.

But Rangers scored three times in 15 minutes before half-time to earn a first win away to Pompey since May 2000.

Portsmouth named £2.5million new-boy Abu Kamara in their starting 11 while QPR handed league debuts to goalkeeper Pierce Charles and Boy Kemper.

Adrian Segecic’s early corner was headed wide by Conor Shaughnessy before summer signing Luke Brooke-Smith unleashed a stinging shot from 25 yards straight into the arms of Pierce Charles.

Rangers’ first sight of goal came in the 12th minute when Pompey failed to properly clear a corner and Chair saw his goalbound effort blocked in front of the line by Ebou Adams.

Portsmouth took a deserved lead in the 15th minute when Northern Ireland international Devlin picked out the corner of Charles’ net with a stunning 30-yard curler.

Rangers suffered another setback when Kemper was forced off injured with only 20 minutes played.

Portsmouth were inches away from doubling their lead as Kamara was close to getting on the end of Zak Swanson’s teasing far post cross.

The home side were clearly enjoying themselves in front of a near 21,000 sellout crowd in the south coast sunshine.

The dangerous Segecic latched on to Colby Bishop’s clever flick-on before whipping in a cross that Brooke-Smith could not properly connect with.

Segecic then dragged a shot wide under pressure from Jake Clarke-Salter after being played through on goal by Kamara.

The visitors equalised against the run of play 12 minutes before half-time when Chair was left unmarked to toe-poke home from point-blank range from Harvey Vale’s cross.

The home fans were left dumbfounded seven minutes later as Koki Saito’s effort from just inside the penalty area took a double deflection off Devlin and Rocco Shein, totally wrong-footing goalkeeper Nicolas Schmid to make it 2-1.

Julien Stephan’s men extended their lead in first-half stoppage time when Chair claimed his second with another simple finish from Amadou Mbengue’s cross following more awful defending.

Pompey should have reduced the deficit 10 minutes into the second half when Charles passed the ball straight to Kamara but he shot tamely at the keeper with a half-open goal at his mercy.

Man of the match Chair was denied an opening day hat-trick by a smart save with the legs from Schmid at his near post.

Substitute Josh Murphy put a shot into the side netting and two efforts across the face of goal but the hosts never really looked like mounting a comeback.

The managers

Portsmouth’s John Mousinho:

“It was a really strange game. We were in complete control for the first 25 minutes and took a deserved lead.

“Mentally we must have taken our foot off the gas after that. After we scored we seemed to fall apart.

“Once we conceded that drained the energy out of us and we started making poor decisions and stopped dominating the game.

“We created some good chances in the second half but also gave away too many opportunities.

“We gave ourselves too much to do.”

QPR’s Julien Stephan:

“This is always a tough place to come and a very intense atmosphere.

“Portsmouth started very strongly in the first 15 or 20 minutes but it was not possible for them to keep the same tempo for the whole game.

“What I appreciate a lot in this moment is the calmness of the players and how they stuck to the plan.

“We scored a good first goal, and after that were efficient on the second and the third and the third one.

“We managed the first 25 or 30 minutes of the second half very well. My only regret in this period was that we could not score another one because we had some good opportunities to score.

“If we scored at that moment, we could kill the game.

“We have to improve on some things, but, in general, I want to be positive after this game.”