Thursday, July 28, was the first day the Chicago Bears training camp was open to fans. Here are takeaways from the Bears 90 minute practice:
Teven Jenkins
We didn’t hear much from Bears head coach Matt Eberflus regarding the absence of the second-year tackle, today, other than the fact that he “woke up with something.” Jenkins has had quite a disappointing offseason. The former Oklahoma State tackle has became incredibly lean, however, he got demoted from first to second team. The former second round pick has his work cut out for him if he wants to earn the starting job at right tackle.
Coaching Staff
My first real observation from training camp was how good this new Bears coaching staff is at rotating players in and out of the lineup. This happened at multiple positions such as offensive line, wide receiver, defensive line, linebacker, and defensive back.
It’s become abundantly clear that there’s a lack of talent on the Bears roster right now, and by constantly rotating players in an out of the lineup is a good method to find hidden gems buried in the second and third team.
The Secondary
Today, I was really impressed by the secondary. This young unit is composed of a lot of talented players still trying to prove themselves, most notably, rookie Cornerback Kyler Gordon and rookie Safety Jaquan Brisker. Much like yesterday, Gordon had a rough day, once again getting beat by rookie receiver Velus Jones Jr.
While third year cornerback, Jaylon Johnson was expectedly solid, the cornerback that stole the show was undrafted cornerback Lamar Jackson. The un-drafted third year cornerback had a big pass break-up, an interception, and an onside kick recovery.
Safety Jaquan Brisker showed some good versatility in terms of his coverage. He was almost always guarding Cole Kmet shadowing him in man coverage.
Cole Kmet
While on the topic of Cole Kmet, he had probably had the best day of any offensive player on the field. Justin Fields and Kmet have established good chemistry, which was lacking in the 2021 season.
As we all know Fields and wide receiver Darnell Mooney had great chemistry in 2021, and this new development in chemistry between Fields and Kmet is promising as the Bears are in desperate need for a second receiving weapon opposite Mooney.
Today, Kmet had a great catch down the seam in double coverage. It was a great throw from Fields, but an impressively tough catch nonetheless from Kmet.
Justin Fields
LastIy, the general, and quarterback of the offense, Justin Fields. Fields was impressive today. While he didn’t make any earth shattering plays, however he made all of the easy throws a veteran quarterback would be expected to make. My only complaint is that during the 7v7 drills he was quick to tuck the ball and scramble, rather than wait for the play to develop.
