Tracking Bears quarterback Justin Fields during training camp practices:
Justin Fields threw a 48-yard completion to wide-open rookie wide receiver Tyler Scott in the two-minute drill, then followed up with a touchdown strike to DJ Moore off a scramble. But it was a “moderate” first day in pads — only about 48 reps and many of them in short-field situations.
It’s always difficult to tell just what those big plays mean in training camp practices. Trevis Gipson applied pressure off the edge on the deep ball to Scott and it’s questionable whether Fields would have been able to get the throw off in a real game.
Be that as it may, Scott’s route and separation on the play was real and bodes well for his development as he tries to find a spot on offense. And Fields’ scramble to buy time for the touchdown pass to Moore was “real,” coach Matt Eberflus said, and showed improvement from last season.
“I thought he did a good job of going through his reads,” Eberflus said. “So he went through his progression and he felt the pocket break down and then he did his thing. That’s what we’re talking about. We’re in two-minute before the half — we’re trying to score a touchdown, we’ll take a field goal — and he utilized that. And that was real. The d-line likes to say they got him ... but I’m back there I can see. It was a real play and he did a nice job of finding the open guy.”
Fields was mostly accurate in his other work Tuesday, though he did not attempt many deep throws in the limited-rep workout. Fields’ pass was intercepted by Eddie Jackson in a 7-on-7 drill on a deflected pass. Chase Claypool made an impressive play on the same drill, making a tough catch from Fields after a bobble in front of cornerback Kyler Gordon.
Eberflus said Wednesday second practice in pads will be expanded, possibly double the rep-count from Tuesday. So stay tuned.
