Stock Up, Stock Down from first week of Bears training camp

With the first week of Chicago Bears training camp in the books, it’s time to review the players who were the biggest winners and losers from the first series of practices, including two padded sessions.

Here’s my take on whose stock is rising and sliding as Week 2 of training camp begins.

Let’sgo.

Stock Up: Justin Fields to DJ Moore connection

Every day in practice, there have been multiple plays where Justin Fields delivers an absolute dart to DJ Moore for a huge gain or a touchdown.

The connection between these two has surpassed even the rosiest expectations, and it’s still August. Fields finally has that security blanket receiver that Josh Allen, Jalen Hurts, and Tua Tagovailoa all received in their third year, right before their careers took a dramatic leap.

Stock Down: Nate Davis

As offensive coordinator Luke Getsy said Wednesday, “Accountability is availability.” Davis has been absent for the last two padded practices and some of OTA’s and mini-camp in May and June.

It will soon become a problem for this team if Davis can’t stay healthy and build chemistry with his offensive line.

Stock Up: Cole Kmet

Not only did Kmet sign a lucrative four-year, $50 million extension, but he’s been showcasing his growing relationship with Justin Fields as a reliable target for the young quarterback.

After a mini-breakout season in 2022, Kmet seems primed to become a consensus Top 10 tight end in 2023.

Stock Down: Velus Jones Jr

I had Velus Jones as a probable cut candidate when the roster shrinks to 53 players, and nothing he’s done thus far has changed my mind.

Jones still has problems holding onto the ball, and if punt and kick returns are all he offers, that won’t be enough.

Sadly, this looks like a massive swing-and-a-miss on the part of Ryan Poles when he drafted Jones in the third round last year.

Stock Up: Tremaine Edmunds

The praise for Tremaine Edmunds so far has been effusive. He’s everything the Bears hoped he would be and possibly more.

Built like the Terminator, Edmunds has been all over the field in practice, making plays, delivering hits, and taking the ball away. When he was drafted, one of his player comparisons was Chicago’s own Brian Urlacher, and so far, he appears to be living up to the billing.

Fans and analysts have questioned the Bears for trading Roquan Smith, but Edmunds will soon put that nonsense to bed.

Stock Down: The Justin Fields haters

By far, the biggest loser of the summer are the trolls and the rival fanbases who have been praying for the downfall of Justin Fields.

Newsflash: he’s not going anywhere.

Fields has been nearly flawless at Chicago Bears training camp, putting on a dazzling show for fans and reporters with his growing chemistry with his receivers. On Wednesday, Darnell Mooney revealed that Fields is even calling his own plays in 2-minute drills, something he couldn’t do last season.

The praise has come from teammates, coaches, local media, and even the notoriously biased national media, with ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky and Mike Greenberg calling him a potential MVP candidate and the next superstar quarterback.

If you want to join the Justin Fields hype train, you better do it quickly before the season starts.