NFC Notes: D.J. Moore, Jordan Love, Bears, Lions, Packers

Bears

Bears WR D.J. Moore‘s Chicago debut started off with a bang, as the veteran took a bubble screen over 60 yards to the house on his first and only touch. That’s exactly the kind of impact the team envisioned when it acquired Moore from the Panthers this offseason. 

“When you add a playmaker like that to your football team, there’s excitement,” Bears HC Matt Eberflus said via Chris Emma of 670 The Score. “I mean, just automatic excitement in the whole building. You know this guy is special and he can make a lot of things happen. I would say his attitude and his personality are very infectious. He kind of lights up a room when he comes into it. He brings all that energy to the team.”

Lions

Initially the Lions planned to play DB C.J. Gardner-Johnson in a more versatile role as a nickel defender. But the emergence of second-round DB Brian Branch has compelled Detroit to move Gardner-Johnson to safety in recent training camp practices, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, teaming him up with S Kerby Joseph. Detroit has a lot of confidence Gardner-Johnson will play well in that role, too, as it’s what he played last year with the Eagles. 

“I think sometimes this may get lost with C.J., he’s an excellent communicator,” Lions HC Dan Campbell said. “Excellent communicator, and so you just kind of see the growth of he and Kerby together and I believe it’s elevated Kerby’s game as well. So you potentially have a couple dynamic safeties back there that have versatility. So that’s what we like about that, having him back there and knowing he can play nickel, certainly.”

Branch is playing the nickel now and actually got that role because of an early injury to Gardner-Johnson in camp that didn’t turn out to be as serious as it initially looked. But Branch took that opportunity and made it hard for Detroit to take him off the field. 

“It’s early but he’s one of those guys, you kind of see the lightbulb,” Campbell said. “What showed up on the tape in college is beginning to show up already, up here, quickly. He’s an instinctive guy. He’s got some ballhawk ability.”

The flipside to those moves, however, is that former Lions starting S Tracy Walker has been running with the second team. Walker missed nearly all of the 2022 season with an Achilles injury after the Lions specifically highlighted him as a player they wanted to extend. 

“I just got to control what I can control,” he said. “I’m going to be honest, that’s it. It’s one of them things where I only can do what I do best and that’s make plays and continue to be me, ball. And lead my teammates out there, so if I’m out there with the ones, if I’m out there with the twos, I’m just going to lead my teammates and the rest will take care of itself.”

• According to Aaron Wilson, the Lions worked out OL Jake Lacina on Saturday.

Packers

Packers HC Matt LaFleur said that QB Jordan Love will likely see some more action before the preseason is over. 

“I would anticipate him playing some more, as well,” LaFleur said, via Rob Demovsky of ESPN. “Whether that’s next week or whether that’s versus Seattle [in the preseason finale], we’ll kind of see how the week goes, see how practices are going. We’ve got two big practices coming up against New England that are going to be really good for him, and we’re just going to play it by ear.”