‘Hard Knocks’ captures Chicago Bears training camp emotions with Ian Wheeler, Adrian Colbert

The Chicago Bears returned to the national spotlight Tuesday night when HBO Max released the fourth episode of “Hard Knocks.”

Here are the top takeaways from episode four.

Following Ian Wheeler’s highs, lows

Viewers got a chance to experience something that “Hard Knocks” has done well since it first started following NFL training camps in 2001: The show captured the emotions of trying to make an NFL roster.

Episode four followed a few different players in their quest to make the Bears’ 53-man roster, but most of it felt centered around undrafted rookie running back Ian Wheeler. The episode started by Wheeler getting hard love for his play on the field and his singing performance in front of the team from his coaches.

But as the episode progressed, fans watched Wheeler figure things out both on the practice field and in the Bears’ preseason finale against the Kansas City Chiefs. Wheeler stood up for himself in a practice after a hard hit and then he had a strong performance against the Chiefs.

But as “Hard Knocks” always does, it also captured the heartbreak. The filming crew followed Wheeler as he discovered he tore his ACL. The crew also followed his mother, Beaura, who was devastated during the game and shared a moment with her son after the game.

“Thank you for coming,” Ian Wheeler said to his mother.

“I had to see you,” Beaura told her son after a long pause. “It’s the way it’s supposed to be.”

The Bears placed Wheeler on injured reserve after being out for the season because of the tear. He shared a close moment with Bears general manager Ryan Poles a few days after the game in his office.

“When the time comes, you’ll get another crack at it,” Poles told Wheeler. “I’m proud of you and I can’t wait to see what your ceiling is going to be because you have a lot of talent. You had the entire staff rooting for you, everyone was extremely excited with your progres and where you were headed. Let’s continue to stay positive.”

Veteran Adrian Colbert shares his story

The filming crew also kept up with veteran safety Adrian Colbert, who was competing with his 10th different team since he was drafted in the seventh round of the 2017 draft.

Colbert shared his story about how a car hit him when he was a child riding his bike and almost killed him. Ever since that moment, Colbert grew a deeper appreciation for life and everything around him, with scenes showing him riding his bike near Halas Hall in Lake Forest, meditating before games and walking around the practice fields without any shoes.

“I go outside, I’m grateful for the leaves, I’m grateful for the trees, I’m grateful for every blade of grass, I’m grateful to be alive,” Colbert said. “I’m grateful for this experience, to be in the NFL, to be amongst the people I get to meet everyday.”

Colbert had a slow start against the Chiefs, but ended up making some impressive plays. In what is likely to be revealed in next week’s season finale, Colbert was released by the Bears on Tuesday.

Rookie shopping challenges

Episode four caught some rookies going on some grocery trips. Some went better than others.

Rookie wide receivers Rome Odunze and John Jackson both went to a local grocery store, where they searched for different things that some veterans requested. Although they got distracted by different candle fragrances, their mission seemed to go well.

The opposite could be said about rookie offensive lineman Theo Benedet. When he couldn’t find disposable wipes, he bought “Clorox” wipes instead, leading to laughter in the offensive line room.

Quarterbacks having fun

While quarterbacks Tyson Bagent, Brett Rypien and Austin Reed competed for spots on the roster, they also had fun along the way.

The crew was caught celebrating big plays from Caleb Williams during practice with fun antics. They also checked out Chicago in a new way for visiting the Willis Tower’s “Skydeck.”