6 takeaways from the Bears’ 16th training camp practice
The Chicago Bears returned to practice Wednesday for their 16th practice, which was quite an eventful day. This time, however, they were without their rookie quarterback in tow as Justin Fields was held out due to a sore groin.
With Fields standing off to the side, veterans Andy Dalton and Nick Foles took charge of the offense in a somewhat watered down practice. The offense rebounded after a rough outing on Tuesday and quite a few players stood out.
For me, this was my first day attending camp live so I have my own takeaways from what I saw in Wednesday’s practice.
Matt Nagy lightened the load for the players
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Training camp has evolved over the last 20 years, going from long, two-a-days at the hottest point of the day, to shorter practices in the early morning. Still, these are the dog days of camp with the preseason now fully underway. With nagging injuries continuing to mount, Nagy decided to take his foot off the gas in Wednesday's practice. After warm ups and individual drills, the Bears had a few series of 11-on-11 with Dalton and Foles swapping in and out of quarterback in a blitz period. But after 45 minutes, the team ditched the pads and continued practicing with no contact. Nagy indicated in his press conference he would back off a bit due to where the team is at numbers-wise and it showed. Skill players were still going hard in drills, but the offensive and defensive lines scaled back a bit as the team tries to navigate their way through various injuries. They primarily ran redzone drills and didn't take too many deep shots when in the middle of the field. Nagy saw the mounting injuries, particularly to Fields, and decided to take it easy with just a few days before the team's second preseason game. To his credit, no player left practice with any new injuries.
Andy Dalton is a major upgrade over Nick Foles
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Before you roll your eyes and say something sarcastic to yourself, consider this was my first time seeing camp with own two eyes. And I can tell you with those eyes that the reports about Dalton commanding the offense is true. The former Pro Bowl quarterback operated the offense with ease and, for the most part, was very accurate. Aside from two bad misses, Dalton read the field quickly and got the ball out of his hands fast. Though we really didn't get to see many, if any, deep balls, Dalton looked the part of someone who can comfortably start. The same cannot be said for Nick Foles. The former Super Bowl MVP wasn't awful, but he did struggle with holding the ball too long and looked very rigid. There were multiple instances where he would have been sacked had this been a real game. He also continued his habit of overthrowing players, sometimes even tossing it into the fan area ten yards past the endzone. Foles accounted for the only turnover in the entire practice as well, throwing a ball too high for wide receiver Rodney Adams that was tipped and picked off by defensive back Jordan Lucas. Foles might have been slightly better than previous outings, but it's clear as day that Dalton is a significant upgrade over him and fans shouldn't fret if he gets the nod over Fields in Week 1.
TE Jesper Horsted was unstoppable
AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh
Tight end Jesper Horsted flashed during the 2019 preseason and even had a moment in the regular season, catching a touchdown pass on Thanksgiving against the Detroit Lions. But the third-year undrafted free agent has taken a backseat to players such as Cole Kmet, Jimmy Graham, and Jesse James. On Wednesday, he wanted to send a reminder that he's still here. With Kmet and Graham out for the day, Horsted shined in practice, catching everything in sight from both Dalton and Foles. Horsted snagged a touchdown in traffic from Foles, held on to a pass from Dalton with a defender draped over him for a score, added a third in double coverage, then caught a fourth with a back-shoulder throw. Horsted capped the day by climbing the ladder to get his fifth touchdown, coming with the first-team offense. He nearly had a sixth touchdown, but the ball was jarred out at the last second while he was going to the ground. He could not be stopped and made quite the statement as he works to earn a spot on the roster.
Marquise Goodwin stood out among the receivers
AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh
Outside of Horsted, the most impressive player on the field Wednesday was wide receiver Marquise Goodwin. The veteran speedster has impressed in camp so far, but showed the hype is as advertised during a number of plays in practice. Let's start off with his speed. We all know Goodwin is Olympic-type speed, but seeing it up close was something else. Goodwin would take a quick pass and turn up field, blowing past defenders with ease. He was everywhere during practice and made the catch of the day, taking the ball away from cornerback Xavier Crawford for an impressive touchdown in team drills. Goodwin even worked on sideline one-handed grabs with position coach Mike Furrey and fellow receiver Allen Robinson as practice was winding down. With Robinson and Mooney, Goodwin is going to play an integral part in the 2021 offense.
Darnell Mooney reminds me of Antonio Brown in some ways
Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports
One of my favorite parts of going to see training camp is watching the individual receiving drills. Each player has a unique skillset and it's on display during those drills when you can identify who does what best. In the case of Darnell Mooney, he gets out of his breaks with quickness and ease, something reminiscent of former All-Pro receiver Antonio Brown. To stress the obvious, this was just one individual drill. But seeing it in real time, Mooney looked to be the best of the bunch with how he was making his cuts. Like Brown, Mooney was able to get low and change direction in an instant, while keeping the integrity of the route in tact. This isn't to say he's going to become the next Antonio Brown, but he has some traits that remind you of the receiver that dominated the 2010s. Players and coaches alike have talked up Mooney all offseason and he is primed for a breakout season.
The quarterback bucket challenge was the highlight of the day
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Fans were disappointed to hear Justin Fields wouldn't be practicing on Wednesday, though he did warm up with the team in pads. After Dalton and Foles each took turns managing the offense, the three quarterbacks moved to the east field to try their hand at throwing a football into a garbage can. Fans oohed and ughed as passes sailed towards cans set up on each side of the field, about 25 yards away from the quarterbacks. Some passes skimmed the cans or just knocked them over completely while others missed by a few feet. After about eight tries by each player, Fields finally sunk it into the can, despite not throwing at all during practice. The fans erupted and it was a fun end to a mixed day. https://twitter.com/JeremyLayt0n/status/1428023374408781830 [listicle id=477907]
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