Among the perfect issues the Chicago Bears have gotten out of this 3-10 season, together with the event of quarterback Justin Fields, is prolonged taking part in time for lots of rookies.
The Bears checklist eight rookies as having began a sport, and one other six on the 53-man roster have made various impacts in all three phases. That time on the sphere ought to assist Bears executives make evaluations as they plan for the long run — and assist the gamers as they attempt to develop into constructing blocks.
“It builds confidence,” defensive finish Dominique Robinson stated. “I love the staff. They trust the young guys to go in there and play. … There are a bunch of us, man, and it’s crazy. Like Coach says, we’re just going to keep building. I think we’ve got a bright future.”
As the Bears take this week to replicate throughout their bye, right here’s a have a look at six of their greatest rookie contributors, plus notes on the opposite draft picks and rookies on the lively roster.
Note: Stats are from Pro Football Reference. The checklist doesn’t embrace rookies at present on the follow squad.
Kyler Gordon, cornerback
Drafted: Second spherical, No. 39.
Stats: 55 tackles, two tackles for a loss, one interception, 4 passes defended, one pressured fumble in 11 video games (all begins).
The rundown: The Bears requested a number of Gordon from the beginning by assigning him to study each exterior and nickel cornerback. His coaches had been sincere that the psychological load meant a studying curve for the rookie, and that confirmed early within the season.
But defensive coordinator Alan Williams has pointed to development within the assembly room with the sorts of questions Gordon asks and in his consolation on the sphere, together with his capability to acknowledge performs and play sooner. Williams stated Gordon’s tackling additionally has improved, however coaches are on the lookout for higher consistency.
“Each week it’s a little bit better,” Williams stated final month of Gordon’s development. “When you speak about rookies or first-year gamers, you need to give them somewhat little bit of grace. Not a lot however somewhat bit by way of the season for them in school was nearly coming to an finish (at the moment of yr).
“And so it’s all those things that are stacked on top of them. It’s not just football. It’s the length of the football season. It’s the intensity of the football season. It’s the complexity of the NFL season. It’s the physical demands that we’re putting on the guys’ bodies — physical and mental. I’m still pleased with Kyler Gordon in a big way.”
One of Gordon’s greatest highlights got here within the Bears’ final win, a 33-14 Monday night time victory over the New England Patriots. He intercepted Bailey Zappe within the fourth quarter to place an exclamation level on the win.
Gordon missed the final two video games whereas recovering from a concussion.
“He’s getting more and more comfortable,” defensive backs coach James Rowe stated. “You can see him making impacts in the games in different ways. I feel he’s covering better, he’s tackling better. He’s been ticking upward since early in the season.”
Jaquan Brisker, security
Drafted: Second spherical, No. 48.
Stats: 73 tackles, 5 tackles for a loss, three sacks, three quarterback hits, one interception, one move defended, one pressured fumble, one fumble restoration in 11 video games (all begins).
The rundown: Brisker has obtained essentially the most nationwide recognition for his play of all of the Bears rookies. His leaping interception of Mac Jones within the win over the Patriots was among the many most fun performs by a Bears defender this season.
Coach Matt Eberflus has touted Brisker’s psychological and bodily toughness and his need to get higher. And Williams stated final week he has seen development in Brisker’s understanding of the small print of the protection, although he additionally missed the final two video games with a concussion.
“Starting off, we all knew he was physical and he would hit and he would run to the ball,” Williams stated. “Starting off, it was simply that. See ball, get ball. Now I’ve began to see him attending to the ball with a function throughout the scope of the protection and being on the small print and never simply operating to the soccer however operating to the soccer throughout the scope of the protection.
“Some guys just get lined up because, ‘Hey, the coach told me to line up here.’ Now he’s getting lined up and knowing the whys and adding his little flair to it.”
Defensive lineman Justin Jones has been impressed with how Brisker goes about his enterprise. He stated the rookie at all times has his iPad with him to review — and at all times is able to discuss soccer.
“Him and Jack Sanborn both play with a speed that you don’t really see rookies play with when they first come in,” Jones stated. “I know I sure didn’t when I came in. … I saw it with Derwin (James) when we both came in as rookies together. I saw him play at the same speed. Now obviously Derwin is a little bit bigger. They’re different athletes. But the mental part of the game, when people say a rookie wall, I don’t think he’s had one.”
Velus Jones Jr., huge receiver
Drafted: Third spherical, No. 71.
Stats: 11 kickoff returns, 296 yards (26.9 common); 5 punt returns, 35 yards (7.0 common), two fumbles; three catches, 24 yards, one landing; six carries, 48 yards in eight video games (no begins).
The rundown: Jones has had maybe the largest hole between expectation and efficiency among the many rookies.
He missed a lot of coaching camp and the primary three video games with a hamstring harm. Upon his restoration, he muffed two punt returns in three video games and was pulled from these duties. He was a wholesome scratch in Weeks 9 and 10 because the Bears huge receivers acquired more healthy, a choice coaches stated got here all the way down to duties on each offense and a number of particular groups items.
But he has been lively the final three video games. With Khalil Herbert on injured reserve with a hip concern, Jones had a 55-yard kickoff return in opposition to the Atlanta Falcons and 4 kick returns for 114 yards in opposition to the Green Bay Packers.
Special groups coordinator Richard Hightower stated he noticed Jones put within the work to get again to that time.
“He’s a guy that, first, he takes accountability for everything,” Hightower stated. “And then I’ve seen a guy that just works hard and works his tail off, which means he’s the right kind of character guy, which is a credit to the personnel staff that they keep having guys in here that have great character.”
Jones’ contributions — and alternatives — on offense have been restricted, with coaches pointing to him needing to be on his particulars. Wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert stated the Bears had a much bigger bundle for Jones within the Packers sport, however that resulted in just one carry.
“Velus, if you asked me (about his progress) two weeks ago, three weeks ago, I would say he’s doing OK,” Tolbert stated earlier than that sport. “Ask me that in the present day, I feel he’s doing very well.
“Velus has really turned it up a little bit in all his stuff. … The trust is building with Velus because he’s where he’s supposed to be when he’s supposed to be there. We had a two-minute drill today and he caught a nice little swirl route from Justin (Fields), got a first down. He’s doing some good things. We just want to keep him progressing.”
Braxton Jones, left sort out
Drafted: Fifth spherical, No. 168.
Stats: Started all 13 video games at left sort out; 5 penalties (three holding, two false begins); 5 sacks allowed, per Pro Football Focus.
The rundown: Jones is likely one of the two greatest surprises of this rookie class in that the 23-year-old from Southern Utah has performed each snap at left sort out.
He and his coaches are simple in acknowledging he has loads of enhancements to make — however in addition they see promise.
Eberflus praised Jones’ maturity, and offensive line coach Chris Morgan stated Jones is placing good issues on movie however must try for extra consistency. Jones agreed.
“I’m just too up and down,” he stated. “One week I have a really good week and I’m punching the guy and I’m stoning him on the line, and then the next week I’m in the quarterback’s lap a lot. Maybe I’m not giving up a ton of sacks, but it’s pressures. And it’s just small things like that that can be fixed. That’s the biggest thing is a lot of my issues are fixable. So that’s a good thing.”
Jones has talked all yr about getting higher in opposition to bull rushes, one thing he thinks could be completed by enhancing his lower-body energy and his method.
The greatest enhancements he has made, he stated, are transferring in house and never permitting one unhealthy play to hold over to the subsequent. That’s not at all times simple for a participant who stated he’s “super hard” on himself.
“He just bounces right back,” Morgan stated. “And that’s something you have to learn sometimes. I’m not sure how much adversity he really faced before on the field. … He was very dominant at his level (in college). So he has really done a good job of moving on to that next play.”
Dominique Robinson, defensive finish
Drafted: Fifth spherical, No. 174.
Stats: 27 tackles, two tackles for a loss, 1½ sacks, two quarterback hits, two passes defended in 13 video games (4 begins).
The rundown: Robinson made fairly the primary impression in his NFL debut when he had 1½ sacks, seven tackles and a sort out for a loss within the opener in opposition to the San Francisco 49ers. But he hasn’t had a sack or quarterback hit since.
He got here in as a still-developing participant after switching to defensive finish from huge receiver late in his school profession at Miami (Ohio), so he sees the taking part in time this season — starting from 30% of the defensive snaps to 89% in several video games — as large for his development.
Defensive line coach Travis Smith praised Robinson’s smarts and energy, noting that when his effort has been off, he takes accountability.
“I’m getting better,” Robinson stated. “It may not seem like that on the field to others, but I personally know that I’m getting better.”
Robinson has a listing of issues he has to work on, beginning with “just being able to fall back into my other gap” on run protection.
“The way our defense is set up, we kind of own two gaps, so being able to own the other gap,” he stated. “I’m doing all proper proudly owning the primary hole. I simply must get higher at proudly owning the second.
“Pass rush, I’m trying to work on being lower. I tend to get high standing straight up, and that’s no good in pass rush. … So I’m working at being lower, having a better get-off and working off of that.”
Jack Sanborn, linebacker
Drafted: Signed with the Bears as an undrafted rookie.
Stats: 59 tackles, 5 tackles for a loss, two sacks, three quarterback hits, one fumble restoration in 13 video games (5 begins).
The rundown: Sanborn is the opposite main shock of this class, leaping in to make a powerful affect on protection after the Bears traded linebacker Roquan Smith to the Baltimore Ravens on the finish of October. The Lake Zurich native and Wisconsin alumnus typically has proven up with essential performs throughout his 5 video games as a starter.
Williams stated Sanborn has traits that transcend the mix measurables that maybe held him again from being drafted. Eberflus, who performed linebacker in school and coached the place at earlier NFL stops, stated final month it begins with Sanborn’s instincts.
“He’s able to discern and read his keys and be on plays fast, so that’s very helpful to him,” Eberflus stated. “I’ve had linebackers in my profession that may actually know the place the ball is each time. They’re in a position to see, learn the steps of the again but in addition see the linemen in entrance of them for the keys and have their eyes transfer from one spot to a different to diagnose performs actually quick, and he has that capability.
“He likes to hit. If you’re a linebacker you have to like that part of the game, the physical style of the game. And he also has good ability to pressure. He can get one-on-one with a back and has the ability to get slippery and slide to the side to stay vertical in that rush. And he’s smart. He’s really smart, really understands the defense.”
On prime of all of that, linebackers coach Dave Borgonzi stated Sanborn additionally has the correct mindset.
“It never seemed too big for him, so I never really got that sense of, ‘Oh, he’s undrafted, I don’t know if he’s going to do this,’” Borgonzi stated. “Again, that’s just him proving to us in practice in the offseason that it wasn’t too big for him. But there are stories about guys that go undrafted every year that contribute immediately. I felt really good going into the season, even though he didn’t have regular-season experience.”
Others
Offensive lineman Zachary Thomas, sixth spherical, No. 186: The Los Angeles Rams signed Thomas off the Bears follow squad in November.
Running again Trestan Ebner, sixth spherical, No. 203: He had a couple of alternatives on offense due to accidents however hasn’t absolutely seized the chance, totaling 24 carries for 54 yards. He additionally has 10 kickoff returns for 226 yards.
Offensive lineman Doug Kramer, sixth spherical, No. 207: The Illinois product went on season-ending injured reserve with a Lisfranc harm in August.
Offensive lineman Ja’Tyre Carter, seventh spherical, No. 226: He has performed in two video games, getting 4 particular groups snaps.
Safety Elijah Hicks, seventh spherical, No. 254: A particular groups contributor many of the yr, Hicks acquired his first alternatives on protection the final two video games with Brisker and Eddie Jackson injured. He had 10 tackles in these video games and helped sluggish the Packers early, however Packers huge receiver Christian Watson caught a landing move in opposition to him.
Punter Trenton Gill, seventh spherical, No. 255: Gill took over for longtime Bears punter Pat O’Donnell and has averaged 46.9 yards per punt and 39.1 internet yards. Hightower known as him proactive, a technician and a frontrunner.
Cornerback Jaylon Jones, undrafted: Jones has been the subsequent man up at nook each time one of many prime three — Gordon, Jaylon Johnson and Kindle Vildor — has been injured. Also a particular groups contributor, he has 35 tackles and a pressured fumble. “We like where he’s headed,” Rowe stated. “He’s smart. He gets better every day. He does everything we ask him to do.”
Cornerback Josh Blackwell, undrafted: Blackwell, whom the Bears claimed off waivers at the start of the season, has been stable on particular groups and acquired a chance on protection in opposition to the Packers with Gordon and Vildor out, totaling 5 tackles.
Linebacker Sterling Weatherford, undrafted: Another preseason waiver declare, he has 4 tackles on particular groups.
Safety A.J. Thomas, undrafted: A follow squad participant for many of the yr, he acquired his first work on particular groups in opposition to the Packers on Sunday.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com