P.J. Walker: Expect Output from Former Panthers

When you want to know something about two key components in this Bears offense, there might be no one better to learn it from than P.J. Walker.

The Bears backup quarterback has the unique perspective provided from playing in Carolina with wide receiver DJ Moore and with running back D'Onta Foreman, and says he knows what to expect from the two.

He even suspected the Justin Fields-Moore passing combination might take off as quickly as it has in training camp because of what he has seen of Moore in the past.

"I'm not surprised," Walker said. "He's (Moore) a easy target to throw to but you've just got to put the ball around him. That's something I really stand on, just putting the ball around him and letting him go out there and make plays.

"You can throw it high, throw it low, he gonna go out there and make a play for you."

Walker threw 228 times for 131 completions in three seasons for the Panethers with five TDs, so he has personal experience on his side.

"He's one of those guys that you've got to find out there on the football field," Walker said. "If a play's called for him, you know, and he's partially covered, you can still give him an opportunity to go make that play, but just gotta have that guy. He's a football player, to me. You get a lot of guys that just are receiver or just running backs, but when you get a guy that's a football player, that understands the ins and outs of everything that going on on the field and that can understand coverages, zones and man, and technique and leverage, that's the best thing that you can have as a quarterback from a receiver."

Moore's Versatilithy

Moore's versatility might be the biggest asset Walker sees as a weapon for Fields to exploit.

"You know you can put him inside at the inside receiver, you could put him on the outside, you can line him up anywhere on the field in this offense and we can do some good things," Walker said. "But you can just see the connection with him and Justin just growing and I'm happy to see it and I'm just out there to continue to push it, you know, just let him give Justin the confidence in him to just go out there when you see 2, you can put the ball around him. He can go out and make a play for you."

Part of the reason the connection is working at practice is Fields, as well. Walker sees a quarterback more on top of the offense than many suspected before camp opened.

"Just his composure, his poise, seeing how he take control of this offense, he's out there, he's doing the right things, making the right checks and making the right calls," Walker said. "Most impressive thing to me is the protections. They put a lot on us (QBs) for protections."

The QBs in Luke Getsy's offense have to get the pass protection set before the snap.

"So for him to just go out there and execute at a high level, making sure he's protected a lot and isn't getting free runners (pass rushers) at him, that's the most important thing," Walker said.

It's possible Bears fans will get their first real glimpse of Moore at the same time Saturday as they see D'Onta Foreman carrying the ball for the first time, although both figure to be limited in their participation in the game.

Foreman is a 236-pound back and on Thursday at practice may have shown off his power running ability to the greatest extent. The Bears went to a set of goal-line running situations and Foreman pounded the ball to the goal line while going down to the turf. Getsy said he wasn't supposed to be a full-contact drill when the backs are taken to the ground, but Foreman was one of the reasons it seemed that way as pads were popping.

"Yeah, big Foreman, D-Fo, he a monster man," Walker said. "He's just to go out there and do what he did from week, what, six to 17 (last year), was just unbelievable to see him go out there and battle week after week after week knowing teams know we're gonna run the ball. We were getting seven-, eight-man boxes and he's just going out there breaking 9-, 10-yard, 11-yard runs, then we get those ones that pop they gonna go for about 50, 60.

"To see him go out there and just still have that same hunger, that same drive, to go out there and still he's competing at a high level. He's going out there fast and you can just see just small things."

DJ Moore is HIM pic.twitter.com/3rRKEEESES
— Harrison Graham (@HGrahamNFL) August 4, 2023

Foreman's Blocking and Receiving

Foreman's participation in pass blocking and receiving was in question coming to Chicago since he hadn't done it much. He has pass-blocked 50 downs according to Pro Football Focus, and has been targeted 31 times in his five seasons according to Sportradar.

"He missed a protection today but in his mind he knew he was wrong," Walker said. "So for him to just go out there and take that personally and knew that and know that he needed to fix that rep, that's something that you want to see in your backs.

"Just having the care and the want-to and the potential to do it, that's something you want to have coming from a backfield like that."

When Foreman is running well, he can wear out a defense. He had a career-high 165 yards on 21 carries in helping beat the Lions late last season, and Walker remembers his 118 yards on 26 carries against Atlanta fondly.

"There's a lot of games, there's a lot of games, but the first Atlanta game that we played, that guy was in a different zone that whole game," Foreman said. "And speaking to him before the game, it felt like he just wanted to get his payback because he was in Atlanta the year before and they released him.

"When we got the opportunity to go there and play in their division, every time he got the ball, man, I felt that speed, I felt that toughness, that grit, that grind that he was feeling that game and it just ain't-do nothing but put the team on his back because we just went along with it."

There's little doubt Fields wouldn't mind having someone else put the offense on their back for a change. It's possible Foreman and Moore can help.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven

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