The Bears still have plenty of ground to cover in order to get back to contender status, but judging by the feelings coming from their Lake Forest, Illinois minicamp, they're making plenty of progress.
Quarterback Justin Fields has a new weapon at his disposal in receiver D.J. Moore, whom Chicago acquired in the trade that sent the No. 1 overall pick to Carolina. After spending time working on their rapport in May and June, Fields is encouraged by their potential.
"It did come quickly," Fields told reporters Thursday of his chemistry with Moore. "I didn't really expect anything because it's different for each guy, but I feel like with DJ, his body language is pretty easy to read. Early on we communicated on how we want each route ran and stuff like that.
"Of course, he has a lot of experience. He's been in the league for a good period of time now. He's played a lot of football, so he knows different coverages really well. That's one thing that I was kind of impressed about with the offense coming in and just understanding, seeing coverages really well on short routes and stuff like that. He's been great. And you know, the chemistry has definitely picked up."
Fields appeared in countless highlight reels in 2022 because of what he did with his legs, not his arm. Versatility is highly coveted in today's pro game, but the Bears know they can't rely on Fields solely as a runner.
In order to do that, Chicago also knew it needed better pass-catchers for Fields to target. The Bears began addressing this need by acquiring former Steelers wideout Chase Claypool at the trade deadline, and months later, Moore joined the squad.
Now, head coach Matt Eberflus feels the Bears have enough talent to make defenses pay for failing to respect their passing attack.
"When teams line up in single-high or they line up in single coverages, we're going to take our shots," Eberflus said. "That's really been the theme all offseason. Certainly take what they give you, but we're certainly going to take shots with the matchups we like."
Fields wasn't just a runner in 2022; he completed 60.4 percent of his passes for 2,242 yards and a 17-11 TD-INT ratio, all as he took the most sacks in the NFL (55) while operating behind a leaky offensive line.
Chicago improved its offensive line in the offseason, signing former Titans guard Nate Davis to a three-year deal and drafting Tennessee tackle Darnell Wright in April.
With a couple of new pieces up front and two new receivers (Cincinnati speedster Tyler Scott being the second of the two) now on the roster, Fields believes he'll be able to produce at a higher rate in the passing game.
"Just taking shots, taking chances," Fields said. "It doesn't matter if it's complete or incomplete now, of course. Just trying to get on the same page. Talk, communicate with them and hopefully we're seeing the same thing when it comes to where the leverage of the corner is and just different details and stuff like that."
If Moore can team up with Fields to produce, the digs at Fields being a run-first quarterback will disappear. And the Bears just might climb out of the NFC North cellar.
