Bears Starting on Wrong and Right Foot

A week is an eternity in an NFL training camp.

What stood as undeniable truth about a team or player one day, only a few days later has reversed 180 degrees.

It's happened in some cases with players in Bears training camp.

The Bears completed seven days of practices on Wednesday. Here are the winners and losers from the first week of Bears training camp practices.

Check back in another seven days of practices and some of these players might wind up in the other column. It's how fast things regularly change.

Winners

WR Chase Claypool

Who would have thought this heading into camp?

Claypool just finished a stretch of three straight practices when he made plays in the passing game, as well as also became a physical blocker and fiery player. In Wednesday's practice, he was one of the few offensive players delivering punishment to the defense with blocking and also was unafraid to get in their faces.

“I would say Chase is a very emotional player," Bears quarterback Justin Fields said. "Even (Wednesday) he was getting into it with the defense a little bit."

Darnell Mooney's description of Claypool was more fun.

"Oh, you gotta watch him, he's a hothead, for sure," Mooneys said. "You got to calm him down. That's why I'm jumping in there, like, yeah, OK, calm down. Yeah, Chase is a hothead for sure. He'll run through guys and won't know how to calm down. You just need somebody to be able to pull you back and like, 'hey, chill out.' I'll be that guy for him, though, for sure."

It sounds like Javon Wims or Anthony Miller, but Claypool has produced on the field.

"He knows where the right spots to be and Justin’s getting confidence with him as well," Mooney said. "I think the first couple days he didn’t really have too many catches or whatever, and then like, maybe, yesterday or a couple days ago they were connecting a lot and Justin’s throwing the ball up to him, just trusting him. You can see that trust for sure."

CB Terrell Smith

The fifth-round rookie from Minnesota wasn't even talked about going into camp, except for coach Matt Eberflus' comment about wishing he'd seen more of "Smitty" during OTAs and minicamp. An injury prevented Smith from showing his skills.

Now, seven days later, he's not only in a battle for starting left cornerback with second-round rookie Tyrique Stevenson but is getting on the field with starters first in scrimmages. The Bears are trying to get equal snaps for both players.

LB Noah Sewell

The fifth-round rookie's off-season of practicing with the first team because of Jack Sanborn's rehab from an injury has paid off. It put Sewell in position to get more time at camp because coaches and the team medical personnel have decided to take Sanborn's rehab slowly. Earlier this week, Sanborns' first-team reps started to increase. But on Tuesday he left practice and Wednesday wasn't taking part. Sewell remains in his starting role. In fact, Sewell is getting even more reps now. He's been on the field with the first-team base defense as strongside linebacker, then with the second team nickel defense. It's a lot of reps, but rookies can use it.

S Elijah Hicks

The confidence in Hicks was obvious from all the first-team reps he had with Eddie Jackson out of the first two weeks of OTA. Now, the Bears coaching staff is using him whenever possible with the first team so he has more experience woking against a better level of receiver. He's taking a big step up from a player barely on the roster as a seventh-round pick last year to one who is one injury from starting.

WR Tyler Scott

The rookie from Cincinnati did drop a few passes during drills but by and large has shown up somewhere in every practice and sometimes with the first team. Justin Fields hit him with a long ball on Tuesday. Adding punt returns has helped his case. He's also trying his hand at kick returns, although Velus Jones Jr. has established himself here as a threat.

QB Justin Fields

Until Wednesday, there really hadn't been a time when the defense clearly could say it had taken the day. Steady has been the best description of Fields' play early in camp. He usually made the right plays, obviously went through his reads and until Wednesday's practice had been solid. Even Wednesday, two interceptions made of him were off deflections and not thrown in poor spots. The passes hit the receivers right in the hands. So Fields' play has to continue to encourage offensive coordinator Luke Getsy. On the other hand, the narrative that he seems to get rid of the ball faster seems a bit overdone. He still does have plenty of plays where he's balking or has a hitch, and the ball is still in his hand five or six seconds after the snap.

Losers

CB Kindle Vildor

The starter last season at left cornerback, Vildor figured to be passed up by Stevenson at some point but he was working with the third team at right cornerback this past week and is obviously behind both Stevenson and Smith. It's probably a good move for him because his path to staying on the roster would be as a backup at either left or right cornerback, but it's definitely a step down from starting since last in the 2020 season. Thhere's nothing saying Vildor couldn't bounce back but this GM and coaching staff didn't draft him and the current one took two rookies.

LB Jack Sanborn

He had to wait to get reps and just when he started getting them upped, he was out of practice for an apparent injury. Was it related to the ankle that ended last season for him? No one is certain at this point.

WR Equanimeous St. Brown

Other than a TD catch to end a two-minute drill this week, St. Brown hasn't stood out. He has experience in the offense and is a good blocker, but is that enough now with this improved receiver corps? Velus Jones Jr. and Scott both have made more plays.

G Teven Jenkins

Considering his injury past, any reason health-related that gets him off the field is undesirable. The Bears do have experienced guard depth in Lucas Patrick and Alex Leatherwood. It's being stretched with the apparent injury to starting right guard Nate Davis. Jenkins needs the reps at left guard because he hasn't played that side of the line. This injury is a tough blow.

RB Roschon Johnson

A rookie always needs his reps. The missed practices with an undisclosed injury this week have given Trestan Ebner more reps. Johnson has been on the practice field following everthing. He had a real opportunity to gain a position of strength in the running back room but when he returns he'll be behind.

DT Travis Bell

It's not so much Bell's play. He had hits and misses in one-on-one pass-rushing drills the last few days in pads. The seventh-round rookie has been working mostly with the third team. His chances of sticking on the roster as a backup nose tackle took a big hit when Bravvion Roy

was claimed off waivers. It puts an experienced nose tackle behind Andrew Billings, and probably makes it very tough on Bell's chances for the roster barring injuries.

WR Velus Jones Jr.

Jones hadn't done anything to backslide until throwing a punch at a group of heckling defensive backs in Wednesday's practice, and had been catching specfic types of passes—mostly shorter throws like screens or quick routes that gave him the chance to use his speed/power combination after the catch. However, there hasn't been a expansive use of Jones in the offense and in an NFL camp if you're not going forward, you're going backward. There is no in-between. Jones has better straight-line and long speed than rookie wide receiver Tyler Scott, and definitely more power. However, unless he starts to gain more roles within the offense than a gadget type of player then that's all he's going to be.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven