soulman Posted August 27, 2021 Share Posted August 27, 2021 (edited) Bears camp superlatives: Justin Fields leads the team’s summer standouts The start of training camp is filled with optimism in almost every NFL city. In Lake Forest, Ill., for the first Bears training camp open to the public at Halas Hall, it was all about talented rookie Justin Fields. Any optimism about what the team could do in 2021, though, has been tempered by a rash of injuries. And for some fans, frustration over the quarterback situation. On Thursday afternoon, the Bears wrapped up the training-camp portion of their summer practice schedule in front of 1,000 guests from Chicagoland military and first-responder organizations. They travel to Nashville this weekend for the preseason finale, then make final cuts Tuesday before beginning preparation for the Week 1 game in Los Angeles against the Rams. “I like mentally where they’re at,” head coach Matt Nagy said before Thursday’s practice. “You always wonder coming into this thing, what’s the players’ mindset going to be? Is it a feel-sorry-for-myself camp? This wasn’t. That’s why actually yesterday, because of the health of some of our guys and where we were, they grinded through two good days after that last preseason game. They came through and they really put through some good effort, which I appreciated. “I wanted to let them know that I appreciated it by flipping yesterday and today. But overall, it’s been a very focused, businesslike approach to where we’re at.” With camp concluded, thus ends the media’s ability to watch an entire practice until 2022 OTAs. Here are our camp superlatives on who stood out the most and what questions remain for the Bears. Most impressive player, offense Fishbain: WR Darnell Mooney. We didn’t think much of Mooney last camp. He was solid, his roster spot was locked in, but even the Bears weren’t sure how good he was until the season got underway. Getting to watch the “second-year jump” from Mooney this summer has backed up what the coaches have said. We know about the breakaway speed, but his route running is crisper. He isn’t the only second-year player who has had a strong camp. Tight end Cole Kmet’s athleticism has stood out, and cornerback Jaylon Johnson had a couple of interceptions last week. Jahns: QB Justin Fields. At first, it was his connections on deep balls. Then Fields started to show how he can change his arm velocity and angles based on what was happening around him and down the field. In the preseason, it was his calmness, including when he decided to run. But in the end, it was Fields’ ability to raise the level of play of the players alongside him. Reserve receivers (see Rodney Adams and Jon’Vea Johnson) and tight ends (see Jesse James) had impressive camps at least in part because of Fields’ efforts. Most impressive player, defense Fishbain: OLB Khalil Mack. OK, I get it. It’s Khalil Mack. But dammit is he fun to watch at camp. With his coming off back-to-back seasons that didn’t measure up to his capabilities, maybe I just needed a reminder of how talented he is. Mack usually did only one or two reps when the team was in one-on-one pass-rush drills, and he always won them. It reminds me of former receiver Brandon Marshall. You knew how talented he was, but he took practice very seriously, and it’s always fun to watch someone at that advanced-level work on his craft. Jahns: LB Alec Ogletree. This isn’t a sexy pick. But this is a matter of expectations. You know what you’re getting when you watch Mack, Akiem Hicks, Roquan Smith and even Eddie Jackson. I didn’t expect Ogletree to do much when he was signed. Then the 29-year-old made a bunch of interceptions and put together a bid to take a roster spot from Joel Iyiegbuniwe and/or Josh Woods. That’s impressive. Biggest disappointment Fishbain: Teven Jenkins’ injury. We went from Jenkins being one of the most intriguing players to watch in camp to wondering when he’d return from his back injury to now considering the possibility that he won’t even play as a rookie. No team wants injuries to be the story, but they were for the Bears. We saw third-stringers on the offensive line, two weeks of backups at inside linebacker and a practice with only one tight end. But Jenkins’ absence could have the biggest long-term impact. The Athletic Chicago @TheAthleticCHI Bears camp notes: Justin Fields sidelined, what Teven Jenkins’ surgery means at tackle Bears camp notes: Justin Fields sidelined, what Teven... Six Bears returned from injury Wednesday, but QB Justin Fields is dealing with a sore groin and OT Teven Jenkins is headed for back surgery. Jahns: Fields’ scant snaps with the offensive starters. Like, what are we doing here? I felt as if Fields earned them through his play in practice and in the preseason. That eventually happened, but they never amounted to much. Andy Dalton still played more with Allen Robinson, Mooney, Marquise Goodwin, Kmet and Jimmy Graham. In retrospect, it should have been a sign that nothing was going to change Nagy’s patient plan for Fields, at least not before Week 1 against the Rams. Favorite quote Fishbain: “I told Madison that our daughter is more famous than the both of us. So it’s been cool having the exposure and having Brexleigh have that exposure, having Madison have that exposure. It’s really cool just to see how much the city of Chicago, the Bears organization, the Bears fans show love to a family that they barely even know. And it’s amazing. You know, coming here every day, the whole staff, the cooks, ‘How is everyone doing? How’s the family doing?’ It is amazing. I love it. And you can’t take it for granted because one day it’s all going to be over. So it’s cool.” — Wide receiver Rodney Adams Adams has been one of the best stories of the preseason, and he’s truly soaking in the moment and all the attention he has received since catching a 73-yard touchdown hours after the birth of his daughter. Jahns: “Yeah, I noticed it. Of course the fans are awesome. They also have to realize Andy’s a human being, too. Andy’s on the field right now, so I really think it’s kind of disrespectful to Andy, them cheering my name out like that. They have to trust in Coach to make sure he’s making the right decisions. Just cheer him on, you know? That’s not helping Andy play better, to cheer my name. That’s not doing none of that. My advice to them would be: Just cheer whoever’s on the field.” — Quarterback Justin Fields Fields said this after the Bears’ second preseason game against the Bills at Soldier Field, during which fans chanted his name multiple times before he played and booed Dalton. It’s a message that speaks not only to Fields’ own maturity but also to his leadership and intangibles on and off the field. Since the start of the offseason program, Fields has always expressed an appreciation for Dalton as a person, a seasoned NFL veteran and a longtime quarterback. Best anecdote From Matt Nagy: “I can give you a little funny yesterday at lunchtime. One of the plays we ran yesterday, we had Jimmy (Graham) on a linebacker, and usually that’s a pretty good matchup with Jimmy out there one-on-one. I think all of us would maybe throw him the ball. And one high safety. And Justin (Fields) was out there and he went the other way. He didn’t throw it to him. “So in the middle of practice, Jimmy came over to me and he said, ‘Hey man, when I’m over there, give me that ball. You know, you throw me the ball.’ “When we were in meetings yesterday, we were telling the quarterbacks, ‘Hey listen, guys, you’ve got a guy, tight end, he wants that ball. When you’ve got No. 57 on him, he wants that ball.’ And so the quarterbacks took it in. “So we get to dinner last night and Jimmy and Justin are crossing paths and Justin walks by and tells Jimmy, he says something to the fact, ‘Hey man, when you’re out there, you’ve got to get open.’ “And Jimmy just looked at him, and was just like, ‘Did this little young buck just tell me to get open?’ And Justin just walked away and just had the biggest grin on his face as he said it.” The Tanner Gentry ‘undrafted rookie who caught our eye’ award Fishbain: ILB Caleb Johnson. This is usually reserved for a skill player on offense, but the top undrafted rookies were on defense this summer. Johnson, out of Houston Baptist, got some valuable reps when the Bears were missing their top inside linebackers, and he made the most of them. Jahns: WR Jon’Vea Johnson. Johnson wasn’t signed as an undrafted free agent this year by the Bears, but that’s how he entered the league with the Cowboys coming out of Toledo in 2019. Johnson is one of several receivers who have played well with Fields. But he also has shown off an ability to stretch the field. Kevin Fishbain @kfishbain Bears roster projection! @adamjahns and I project the 53 Bears roster projection: Which players need a strong... The Bears still have a handful of roster spots (WR, TE, CB) up for grabs that can be won — or lost — during Saturday's preseason finale. Overall Justin Fields impressions Fishbain: He makes “wow” plays. The first day of camp, the zip on his passes really stood out, and I wondered how often that would lead to throws getting away from him or being too hot for his receivers to handle, but that hasn’t been an issue — and I shouldn’t be surprised by that, considering what he accomplished at Ohio State. We saw glimpses in the preseason games of Fields’ playmaking ability and where he still can stand to learn more, but everyone in the building must be pleased with his progress in camp. Jahns: It’s important to not get too carried away. But my most general takeaway is that Fields can do things that Mitch Trubisky can’t or didn’t do enough in practices that I saw or in games. Whether that means Fields is finally the franchise’s answer at QB must play out. He’s not starting in Week 1 because Nagy still sees immense value in the team’s patient plan for him. But it’s clear that Bears players gravitate toward Fields and he’s capable of making the big plays that Nagy’s offense has sorely missed the past two years. Overall Andy Dalton impressions Fishbain: I was pleasantly surprised by Dalton’s performance … in training camp, that is, not the preseason games. His deep ball has been better than I expected, and I thought he was pretty locked in during Thursday’s practice, connecting on a long completion to Damiere Byrd. The preseason performance matters, though. I’m still not sure what Dalton can do behind an O-line with question marks in an offense that hasn’t produced the past couple of seasons. As far as camp goes, though, he has been solid. Jahns: He’s been good, not great, but that’s Andy Dalton, right? On the field, the most impressive thing about Dalton has been his consistency, particularly in practices when he’s throwing to Robinson and other top playmakers. Off the field, it’s the way he has handled being a starting quarterback who isn’t in the spotlight. At some point this season, Dalton will be replaced by Fields. But I see no reason why Dalton won’t still be helpful for Fields in every capacity that he possibly can. Lingering question, offense Fishbain: Are there enough playmakers for Dalton? The tackle position is a concern, to be sure, but I’m curious to see who can step up and be a No. 3 receiver, or if Damien Williams can be productive as the No. 2 back. The Bears should feel good about Robinson, Mooney, David Montgomery and Kmet, but how good can that quartet be? We know about the speed Goodwin and Byrd bring, but they were brought here on minimum deals. It’s difficult to know what can be expected from them. Jahns: Is this offensive line good enough? Everyone should have their doubts. I’m sure Nagy, offensive coordinator Bill Lazor and O-line coach Juan Castillo do, too. Their starting five of Jason Peters, Cody Whitehair, Sam Mustipher, James Daniels and Germain Ifedi hasn’t been together long, and there are just too many questions. Lingering question, defense Fishbain: What can the Bears get from edge rusher Robert Quinn? There were times in camp and the preseason when Quinn’s speed off the edge jumped out. The coaches raved about the shape he’s in, but he also missed time with two injuries. It won’t take much for Quinn to exceed his production from last year, but the Bears need a lot more than that with only Jeremiah Attaochu and Trevis Gipson behind Quinn. Jahns: Can the Bears secondary hold up? With the competitions at cornerback and nickelback ongoing, it appears as if not only Kyle Fuller will be missed but also Buster Skrine. A formidable, consistent pass rush will help them. But we’ll have to wait until the regular season to see how much new defensive coordinator Sean Desai’s scheme changes enhance the team’s best threats, while also hiding its holes. (Photo of Justin Fields: Jonathan Daniel / Getty Images) Edited August 27, 2021 by soulman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soulman Posted August 27, 2021 Author Share Posted August 27, 2021 21 minutes ago, soulman said: The Tanner Gentry ‘undrafted rookie who caught our eye’ award Fishbain: ILB Caleb Johnson. This is usually reserved for a skill player on offense, but the top undrafted rookies were on defense this summer. Johnson, out of Houston Baptist, got some valuable reps when the Bears were missing their top inside linebackers, and he made the most of them. I gotta go with him too. Initially it was gonna be Kyiris Tonga but he surpassed expectation by enough to be a solid pick for a roster spot. Johnson's speed, range, and tackling ability stand out to me as well as his nose for the football. He's a guy who we could really use as a ST standout who can develop into a starter or primary role player. He's very raw but he's got some serious "football tools". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Madmike90 Posted August 27, 2021 Share Posted August 27, 2021 1 hour ago, soulman said: I gotta go with him too. Initially it was gonna be Kyiris Tonga but he surpassed expectation by enough to be a solid pick for a roster spot. Johnson's speed, range, and tackling ability stand out to me as well as his nose for the football. He's a guy who we could really use as a ST standout who can develop into a starter or primary role player. He's very raw but he's got some serious "football tools". Johnson is the guy I would keep as a 5th ILB if Holtz isn't healthy or we just go with the 4 TEs and drop Horsted... We know what guys like Iggy & Woods are so why not go with the higher upside player and see if he can be developed down the line. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soulman Posted August 27, 2021 Author Share Posted August 27, 2021 37 minutes ago, Madmike90 said: Johnson is the guy I would keep as a 5th ILB if Holtz isn't healthy or we just go with the 4 TEs and drop Horsted... We know what guys like Iggy & Woods are so why not go with the higher upside player and see if he can be developed down the line. I would prefer not to risk losing Horsted who I believe may be able to take over as a competent "U" TE or at least share that spot with Kmet and James since both appear to have the versatility to play wide as well as in line. I'm not sure just how valuable Holtz is any longer other than on ST but like I said we can probably plan on seeing players released or cut then signed to the PS after they clear waivers or possibly brought back after week one. Holtz is a journeyman with limited skills on offense. To me there's less chance of him being picked off on waivers than younger player who show real upside and might currently make someone else's roster. But it's all one big chess game again or maybe a crap shoot as teams cut players they hope they can sign to their PS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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