Chicago Bears coordinators and players spoke with reporters before and after practice Thursday at Halas Hall as they prepare for Sunday’s road game against the New Orleans Saints.

Here are three things we learned.

1. Bears running backs are adapting to a new position coach after David Walker’s firing.

The Bears announced Walker’s dismissal Wednesday for workplace conduct, with general manager Ryan Poles saying the Bears have a standard for “how you move around this building and how you treat people, how you talk to people, how you act.”

It was a surprise to players, running back D’Onta Foreman said, but they’re trying to stay on task as they prepare for the Saints.

“It’s tough,” Foreman said. “We’re all held to the same standard. But at the end of the day, we’ve got to focus on playing football and what we’re here to do.”

Running back Roschon Johnson said “it wasn’t really a big, drawn-out deal” when the coaches informed players of Walker’s firing and the promotion of Omar Young to running backs coach.

“It’s unfortunate,” Johnson said. “But at the same time, in this business, it’s next man up, and that goes for coaches and players. We’ve got a game to win this week, and that’s the main focus right now.”

Johnson said Young, formerly the assistant wide receivers and quarterbacks coach, hasn’t worked with the running backs much one on one this season. But he said Young has been in offensive meetings and is “very in tune with what we’re doing and how we’re going about things from the running back position.”

Johnson said the most important thing is making sure they are all on the same page in meetings.

“It’s definitely going to be an adjustment,” Foreman said, “just having another person in there and trying to get a feel for the way he goes about and does things. But we’re all pros. We’ve all been through this for years, so I think we’ll be fine.”

Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy said Young, who was an offensive quality control coach with Getsy for the Green Bay Packers, “is as good as it gets in this thing.” He thinks Young will be “just fine” preparing the players this week.

“We have a responsibility to the players,” Getsy said. “We just dive into it. … We have young guys in the building that are really talented coaches where they’re able to step up and take the pieces that we’re missing.”

2. DeMarcus Walker is a fan of new defensive end Montez Sweat.

Walker called Sweat a “freak athlete,” noting that Sweat ran a 4.41-second 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine in 2019.

Walker, who signed a three-year, $21 million contract with the Bears in the offseason, said he isn’t worried about snaps after the Bears traded a second-round pick to the Washington Commanders for Sweat at Tuesday’s trade deadline. He sees it as competition — and he said the Bears “can’t have enough weapons.”

“This defense is already together and we’re already one brotherhood,” Walker said. “To add more talent to it, I mean, you’re licking your chops.”

Walker said having a player the caliber of Sweat — who has 35 1/2 sacks since 2019 — theoretically should help pass rushers such as Walker and Yannick Ngakoue. The Bears have only 10 sacks this season.

“They’ve got to turn to somebody, you know what I’m saying?” Walker said. “It’s good to have so many guys that can affect the passer. Then just let us go. … That’s the biggest challenge to the coaches. Just let us go.”

Defensive tackle Andrew Billings, who signed a two-year contract extension Thursday, said he went to watch film of Sweat after hearing of the trade.

“Then I was like, ‘OK, I see why they did it,’” Billings said. “Good job on them.”

3. Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds and safety Jaquan Brisker sat out practice.

Bears coach Matt Eberflus said Wednesday that Edmunds would be “day to day” with a knee injury he suffered against the Los Angeles Chargers. Brisker, who missed practice all last week with symptoms the Bears thought were due to an illness, remains in concussion protocol.

Quarterback Justin Fields (thumb), right guard Nate Davis (ankle) and cornerback Terell Smith (mononucleosis) also remain out. Offensive tackle Larry Borom was absent for personal reasons, and tight end Marcedes Lewis had a rest day.

Left tackle Braxton Jones was limited as he works his way back from injured reserve because of a neck injury. Center Lucas Patrick (back) and safety Eddie Jackson (foot) practiced in full.

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