Chicago Bears coaches, or coaches in general for that matter, never go out of their way to praise rookies. Praise needs to be earned. That’s how this works. If the members of the 2020 draft class want positive attention, they’ll gain it with their performance in practice and the film sessions. Matt Nagy is notorious for not playing rookies if he can help it.
Keep that in mind to better understand just how much of an impact this latest group is having on the team.
This isn’t something that became a thing over the past week or two. The Bears 2020 rookie class was making noise from the moment they stepped on the practice field. It’s gotten to a point where expectations are unusually high. So much so that Athletic insider Adam Jahns said it brings back memories of two other rookies who didn’t waste time getting in on the action.
“Johnson was handed the starting job after several full practices, while Kmet has played with the starting offense since Day 1. There also is an obvious role being constructed for speedy receiver Darnell Mooney, one of their three fifth-round picks, in coach Matt Nagy’s offense.
It feels similar to 2017 when the team started to boast about the potential of safety Eddie Jackson and running back Tarik Cohen during OTAs.”
Chicago Bears coaches don’t boast without good reasons
It’s true. People tend to forget how swiftly Jackson and Cohen carved out roles as starters during their rookie seasons. Former head coach John Fox compared Jackson to Hall of Fame defensive back Rod Woodson. He also called Cohen a “matchup problem” at one point. For a guy who coached his teams to Super Bowls? That is pretty high praise indeed.
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Praise that turned out to be warranted. Cohen had 113 yards from scrimmage and a touchdown in his pro debut against Atlanta. Jackson followed that up a few weeks later with two defensive touchdowns in one game against Carolina. Both have gone on two multiple Pro Bowls.
That is the sort of vibe that is coming off this newest crop of young Bears. If this is true, then the team is not only set up for a promising 2020 season but for the future as well.
