Justin Fields Shows Hes Catching on Quickly

If anything could be ascertained from Thursday's work against the Miami Dolphins at Halas Hall it was the Bears defense is as stubborn as ever in the red zone even without Eddie Goldman on the nose and with new defensive backs.

Also, Bears fans could be in for a real show if quarterback Justin Fields gets on the field in the red zone.

"Oh man, he's catching on quick," Bears running back Damien Williams said. "He's learning from when I first seen him, coming in til now, it's a big improvement."

Two days of workouts with Miami ended Thursday after the Bears defense hounded Tua Tagovailoa, knocked down a pair of his passes all while Akiem Hicks talked trash at the Dolphins QB.

Jaylon Johnson picked off Tagovailoa in the end zone in red-zone work and the Bears put on an interception return with Eddie Jackson leading the blocking. Also, Tagovailoa dropped a ball in the backfield on one red-zone play and Khalil Mack quickly pounced on it.

What the Dolphins side of this looked like

The Dolphins quarterback got in a few piercing shots in the red zone for TDs as the action moved one way and he threw back away from the flow, but by and large it was a solid day for the Bears defense against Miami's first team.

What really excited the team was Fields' play in the red zone. To temper this, it was against the Miami second team.

Fields proved extremely effective throwing on the run and putting the ball on the money in goal-line or red-zone situations.

During a full-squad sequence inside the 10 he got the ball into the end zone on a pair of throws to Damiere Byrd, one to Artavis Pierce and another time to Javon Wims, then ran in a bootleg play himself. The only time the Dolphins stopped him in the sequence was on a ball off Riley Ridley's hands as he was reaching for it and lunging under heavy coverage.

Fields also had a fun day finding backup tight end Jesper Horsted. He hit Horsted three times, twice in 7-on-7 and the other time in full squad, for good gains.

"Then you start to see him being comfortable and being able to play with your swag, you see that in him now, you know what I'm saying?" Williams said. "When he's making plays, you kind of see the swag he has. It's all about growing right now and he's doing that."

The plan, according to coach Matt Nagy, is for Fields to play extensively Saturday, possibly into the second half. And he'll likely be on the field with some first-team players, if not all of them at some point.

Fields wasn't the only Bears quarterback enjoying success. Both Darnell Mooney and Javon Wims hauled in deep throws from Andy Dalton in 7-on-7.

However, Dalton did throw an interception to Andre Van Ginkel in the red zone.

"It feels good to be around both guys," wide receiver Marquise Goodwin said of Dalton and Fields. "You know, I have different relationships with both of them. So, obviously I am thrilled catching passes from both of them. Working with both of them has been amazing.

"You can't forget another veteran QB we have in Nick Foles. I mean, he's already been to the big game and won MVP. There's a lot of great competition on the team and, you know, I know they are being pushed in their room just like we are across the board."

Put 'em up

A series of brief scuffles broke out through practice but nothing major.

The worst one came when Cole Kmet caught a toss along the sidelines and was headed out of bounds in drills that weren't full contact. Miami defensive back Eric Rowe gave him a shot in the back of the shoulder. Kmet didn't appreciate it, turned and went after Rowe. Because the play happened along the sideline, players from both fields and both teams spilled over and some shoving ensued before it was quieted.

The other most notable one involved former Bears tight end Adam Shaheen.

Khalil Mack didn't like Adam Shaheen holding him during a pass rush drills and let him know it. A few plays later when they had been matched up again he got physical with the Dolphins tight end. Both sides quickly rushed in and nothing more serious occurred.

Lining up

Jester Weah had some snaps with the first team at Tashaun Gipson's safety position. He took advantage of the opportunity. On the first red-zone pass by Tagovailoa to tight end Mike Gesicke, Weah reached and slapped what looked like a TD to the ground for an incompletion. ... Arlington Hambright lined up at right guard after Alex Bars left the practice field limping. After practice, the Bears said Bars has a knee injury. Lachavious Simmons was playing right tackle.

Returns

Marquise Goodwin returned to the lineup after a foot contusion. Both Allen Robinson and Robert Quinn returned to the field, although both were limited to individual work in practice. Robinson has what the Bears are calling a "hamstring issue" and Quinn has back stiffness. ... The Bears looked at several return men on kick return drills besides Khalil Herbert, who would seem to be the favorite to do it. They gave Jordan Lucas and Chris Lacy both chances as well as rookie running back C.J. Marabel.

Spotted

Dolphins Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino was at practice. He is a Dolphins special advisor.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven