The Chicago Bears returned to the practice field on Wednesday for their 12th workout of the summer, and there was plenty to digest from the padded session.
Justin Fields is entering a pivotal third season, where the expectation is he’ll have a breakout season following some big offseason additions, including wide receiver DJ Moore. After emerging as an elite rusher last season, Fields needs to make strides as a passer. Luckily, Fields has consistency for the first time in his NFL career as he’ll play his second year in Luke Getsy’s offense.
We’re taking a look at the good, the bad and the noteworthy with Fields from the 12th practice of Bears training camp:
The Good
Justin Fields and the offense thrived during one third-down period, according to The Athletic. They converted five of seven third downs, including a touchdown to receiver Darnell Mooney on third-and-4 from the 39-yard line, as well as Fields connecting with receiver Equanimeous St. Brown for a first down with a quick throw on third-and-8.
Fields also thrived during the 7-on-7 period, where he went 8-for-10, which included completions to receiver DJ Moore, fullback Khari Blasingame, St. Brown, running back Roschon Johnson and receiver Nsimba Webster. Although he failed to connect on a touchdown pass to running back Khalil Herbert earlier in the drill.
The Bad
Fields and the offense had a “clunky, sloppy day” in their return to pads, according to Josh Schrock, who said “execution and consistency were lacking” during those play-it periods. They had four false starts, including two on rookie right tackle Darnell Wright and one on left tackle Braxton Jones.
The high red-zone period was rough for the first-team offense, who started with a three-and-out. The drive started with Fields throwing an incomplete pass to Mooney. After Herbert was blown up in the backfield for a loss, Fields failed to connect with tight end Cole Kmet on third-and-long, as cornerback Tyrique Stevenson deflected the pass.
As far as Fields specifically, there wasn’t a lot of bad to note outside of some incompletions, including a missed touchdown shot to Herbert during the 7-on-7 period. Fields played a clean practice without any interceptions.
The Noteworthy
At this time last summer, everyone was talking about the chemistry between Fields and Darnell Mooney. But with the arrivals of DJ Moore and Chase Claypool, Fields has developed connections with his newest wideouts.
While Mooney has had a quiet camp, as he returns from a fractured ankle, his connection on Fields flourished during Wednesday’s practice. With Claypool sidelined with an apparent hamstring injury, Mooney made the most of his extended reps, where he made some impressive plays against defenders that reminded everyone that his connection with Fields is special.
Mooney showed he can be a threat in the vertical passing game, as evidenced by when Fields found him on a deep crossing route for a deep ball completion with a defender draped on him.
While Fields to Moore will be the duo to watch this season, don’t forget about Mooney.
What People Are Saying
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