Five Bears Who Stepped Up at the Start

When camp started, five players made immediate statements and not surprisingly none played the line on defense or offense.

It's only been four unpadded practices and the pads come on this week but the Sunday break for the Bears offered a time to take account of the first segment of training camp.

Five players in particular stood up to be counted in those initial practices.

None of them are linemen, offensive or otherewise. It's all but impossible to judge linemen based on fake contact.

The upcoming segment of practices will tell more on this after pads are used and one-on-one pass blocking occurs.

What's most encouraging for Bears GM Ryan Poles is three of the players who made the first strong impressions were 2022 draft picks who he brought here.

1. WR Darnell Mooney

Smooth, polished and ready to prove he should retain the status of the team's No. 1 receiver, Mooney really has his sights set on something bigger as he daily impresses with route running and expanded catch repertoire. He seems better able to elevate for catches this year.

"I'm not thinking of any stats, any personal stats, any individual," Mooney said. "I want to win. Biggest thing, I want to win. Winning will take care of everything regardless of what—Pro Bowl, all those individual accolades—everything will help out itself when we're winning."

Make no mistake, Mooney has goals but not numbers. His main one is lofty.

"I still want to be great," Mooney said. "Still want to be the best player, best receiver in the league. And I'll get that."

2. WR Velus Jones Jr.

He has beaten rookie Kyler Jones in particular. Three times he has made it past Jones for catches but Gordon's play has been so exemplary that it's like the proverbial flea on the elephant.

Jones' speed has been apparent and when the pads come on his power should, as well.

There hasn't been a great presence in the intermediate routes for him but on deep routes his 4.31-second speed is quite apparent been apparent. The surprise has been his ability to fake on those deep routes like a veteran.

3. DB Kyler Gordon

Beaten by Jones, sure, but he's always on the ball during red zone full squad or seven-on-seven work and if he's beaten in those it's a difficult contested catch. Gordon made a heads-up pick of Justin Fields on a delected pass off Mooney's hands in one red zone scrimmage. It was the type of heads-up zone play a safety or nickel defender would normally make, so it's not surprising they are giving him a look both on the outside and inside.

"I don't know the reason," Gordon said. "They just told me, 'learn the nickel. You're gonna go there.' I'm like, 'Yep. I'm ready.'

"And I just had a smile and I was just excited."

4. S Jaquan Brisker

The interception of Fields he made in Friday's practice probably was the defensive play of camp. It was the kind of heady interception a veteran produces. He almost seemed to bait Fields into the throw over the middle to Cole Kmet before moving stepping in front of the starting tight end to pull down the ball and take off upfield.

"I enjoy playing next to him," Gordon said of the Penn State safety. "I know he's a big, physical dude, and we talk about being physical all the time.

"I mean you definitely see him out there swinging his hands and always punching at the ball. Long-arm dudes and getting physical, I like that. It's just nice to know someone is playing with the same physicality that I like to play with. His energy will bounce off of me and make me raise my energy. So I enjoy playing with him a lot."

5. QB Justin Fields

Improved footwork, accuracy on medium and shorter passes and a better idea when receivers are actually open have all been apparent. The interception he threw to Brisker was the one blip on the radar. He also seems to have a better feel for when to throw it out where no one can reach it except his target near the goal line and at the end zone corners.

"Forget all the athletic part," offensive coordinator Luke Getsy said. "That guy, with the way he attacks every single day and his approach and lead by example and you know, doesn't ask anybody to do anything he doesn’t expect of himself. That guy, he's a natural-born leader-type of guy. So we're lucky to have a guy like that leading this thing."

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