Top 3 Storylines from Chicago Bears Training Camp

After a fiery and competitive Family Fest practice Sunday, the Chicago Bears are getting a well-deserved rest day at training camp.

The Bears kick off their preseason schedule Saturday, Aug. 12, against the Tennessee Titans in a game that should give the coaching staff an extended look at some backups who’ve been playing well through the first ten days of practices.

It’ll also give players who’ve been struggling a chance to resurrect their opportunities to make the final roster.

As the preseason inches closer, let’s look at the three best storylines that have emerged from Chicago Bears training camp.

The Justin Fields to DJ Moore connection is as advertised, and more.

This may be the most transformative part of the Bears’ rebuild under GM Ryan Poles. Bears fans expected good things from the addition of wide receiver DJ Moore, but I don’t think anyone imagined it would be this good.

Every day of practice so far has seen multiple “wow” moments from Moore catching a perfectly placed pass from Fields.

Moore is already making Fields’ life as an NFL quarterback easier. He now has that emergency blanket, the “Screw it, he’s down there somewhere” kind of guy that a quarterback can lean on when the backfield turns chaotic. Moore is the kind of player that Fields can air it out to and trust that he’ll come down with the pass.

While they still have to prove it on the field, I don’t see any reason to doubt that Moore can do for Fields what receivers like Stefon Diggs and AJ Brown did for Josh Allen and Jalen Hurts.

Chase Claypool is flashing his rookie season vibes.

Claypool exploded onto the national stage as a rookie in 2020, with over 800 receiving yards and 11 total touchdowns. His career has been downhill since, but erratic quarterback play and a midseason trade in 2022 can be blamed for much of that.

Training camp started off slow for Claypool, but in the last week, he’s flashed some true brilliance that harkens back to his rookie year. The chemistry with Justin Fields is obvious, and he’s even proven effective as a blocker.

GM Ryan Poles has taken a lot of heat for trading what ultimately became the 32nd overall pick in the 2023 draft for Claypool, but if the fourth-year wideout can put up numbers close to what he did in 2020, Poles’ decision to add the gifted playmaker will be vindicated.

Chicago Bears defense is bringing juice and grit to every practice.

Many people get worried when the defense has a good day in camp. Bears fans don’t like hearing that Fields was picked off or that the offensive line got beat. But in the words of Bears legend Charles “Peanut” Tillman, “The defense plays for you guys, too!”

We should be happy to see the defense dominate on occasion in camp. That means there’s fire on that side of the ball. It means we won’t have to watch a repeat of the disastrous 2022 defensive unit, which let a rookie safety lead the team in sacks and gave up 33 points per game in the final ten weeks of the season.

The defense is bringing the heat to the offense, and they’ve got a nasty attitude, too. They don’t have to be the 1985 defense, the 2006 defense, or even the 2018 defense. But if the Bears can get a little of that “Monsters of the Midway” vibe, then 2023 should be a fun year for Chicago.