10 takeaways from Day 3 of Bears’ mandatory minicamp

The Chicago Bears concluded their offseason program with mandatory minicamp, which wrapped at Halas Hall.

Chicago conducted their final practice on Thursday, which was open to the media. While it was a short practice with a focus on short field and red zone, there were still some nuggets to come out of practice.

There were plenty of storylines that came out of Thursday’s practice, including Justin Fields’ big day, standout days from Robert Tonyan and Dante Pettis, and the offense’s success in the red zone.

Following the Bears’ final practice of minicamp, here’s what we learned:

Justin Fields had his sharpest practice of the spring

Justin Fields wrapped minicamp with his sharpest practice of the spring, per multiple media members in attendance. The final practice focused on red zone work, where Fields had some nice touchdown passes to tight ends Cole Kmet and Robert Tonyan.

“It was good. It was good,” said coach Matt Eberflus. “I thought it was nice. Justin went through his reads and progressions nicely.”

According to Joseph Herff, Fields went 12-of-15 with his incompletions coming courtesy of a drop by rookie receiver Tyler Scott, receiver Dante Pettis not turning his head quick enough and safety Jaquan Brisker making a great play on the ball.

Eberflus did not that today’s red zone drill was a little different because there wasn’t a full-on rush from the defensive line.

Still, it was nice to wrap the offseason program on a high note heading into a six-week break ahead of training camp.

“I feel like we finished up minicamp strongly,” he said.

Robert Tonyan was a threat in the red zone

New Bears tight end Robert Tonyan was one of the standouts during the final practice of mandatory minicamp. That’s not a surprise considering Tonyan is known for being a threat in the red zone, something Chicago is looking to capitalize on.

According to the media in attendance, Tonyan had the play of the day during red zone work when caught a touchdown on a route to the back corner of the end zone.

The tight end duo of Cole Kmet and Tonyan gives Fields plenty of options to find success in the red zone this season.

The returns of Darnell Mooney, Chase Claypool for training camp

Fields has been without two of his top receivers, Darnell Mooney and Chase Claypool, during the offseason program. Mooney has been rehabbing his ankle, which he fractured last November. Meanwhile, Claypool has been sidelined since the second week of OTAs with what Eberflus described as a “soft tissue” injury.

Fields was asked about the importance of getting those guys up to speed come training camp.

“I think we’ve got a base in [with Claypool],” Fields said. “With Mooney, I feel like I’ve already had that base. … The biggest thing now is having them healthy for training camp.”

Justin Fields talks chemistry with DJ Moore

Justin Fields and DJ Moore have been the talk of the offseason program as their chemistry has flourished.

Teammates have pointed out how quickly they’ve developed that chemistry, and Fields agreed.

“It did come quickly,” he said. “His body language is easy to read. Early on, we communicated on how we wanted each route run.”

Throughout OTAs and minicamp, Fields and Moore have made some impressive plays that indicate the Bears could have something special on their hands.

Dante Pettis had a strong practice

With Darnell Mooney and Chase Claypool sidelined during minicamp, it’s allowed other receivers an opportunity to step up. During Thursday’s practice, which focused heavily on red zone work, receiver Dante Pettis made his presence known.

According to Bear Report, Pettis had a strong end to practice, which included two touchdown catches where he beat cornerback Kyler Gordon.

When looking at the receivers room, it feels like DJ Moore, Mooney, Claypool and rookie Tyler Scott are the only ones guaranteed a roster spot. Which leaves two spots between Pettis, Equanimeous St. Brown and Velus Jones Jr. Pettis will need more of these days come training camp.

Praise for the rookies

The Bears have an exciting rookie draft class who could serve significant roles in their first seasons. Two of the standouts during the offseason program have been defensive tackle Gervon Dexter and cornerback Tyrique Stevenson.

During minicamp, Dexter brought pressure on left guard Teven Jenkins and center Cody Whitehair. Matt Eberflus said Dexter has been doing a lot pilates to work on his flexibility. Eberflus talked about his versatility between nose and 3-technique, as well as “man he hustles.”

Eberflus was also asked about Stevenson, who looks like he could start on the outside Day 1. Eberflus said he likes the size, speed and tackling ability that Stevenson brings to the table. He believes Stevenson “will look even better” once the pads come on in training camp.

Justin Fields’ leadership shining through

Justin Fields has been improving in multiple areas this offseason, whether it’s his processing and decision making. But he’s also starting to come into his own as a leader on the Bears.

Matt Eberflus said he’s been impressed with how Fields has gone beyond leading by example with his hard work and how he’s bringing together the offense and defense.

“I just see leadership,” Eberflus said. “He’s always the hardest worker, always the first guy out, last to leave. He’s always done that. But now I can see that, because his confidence is growing, he’s taking that to a different level as far as being a vocal leader and talking to guys and being able to bring guys together.”

And it’s resonating with Fields’ teammates.

“Seeing how he commands that huddle and what he wants to see out of all of us,” said left guard Teven Jenkins, “it’s a wake-up call for me that I need to push myself to be on his level because he’s demanding a certain effort out of all of us.”

That’s what you want to see from your quarterback.

Bears had NFL official give presentation on gambling rules

With the recent gambling issues across the NFL teams, Eberflus wants to make sure his players are aware of the rules so they make the same mistakes others have.

Eberflus said the league sent an official to Halas Hall on Wednesday, where there was a presentation on the sports gambling rules.

Summer plans

Training camp schedule coming soon

Following the conclusion of the offseason program, the Bears will have a six-week summer break before returning to Halas Hall for training camp next month.

Matt Eberflus said that the training camp schedule will be coming soon, as in within the next day or two, so we can prepare for the unofficial start to the 2023 season.

Last year, Bears rookies reported on July 23 with veterans reporting on July 26.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=103]

Story originally appeared on Bears Wire