Bears
It’s still way too early to make any definitive statements about the season, but the early signs are that Bears QB Justin Fields and WR D.J. Moore are building the kind of rapport the team envisioned when it traded for Moore from Carolina.
“They quickly got a really good rapport with one another,” Bears WR coach and passing game coordinator Tyke Tolbert said via the Athletic’s Kevin Fishbain. “They talk all the time with each other off the field and on the field. Every time Justin’s in there, for the most part, DJ’s in there taking reps. Obviously the more reps with one another the better you’ll get. They’ve gotten better and better throughout camp. Really pleased where they are this spring.”
A number of young quarterbacks have taken big leaps forward once their teams added a true No. 1 receiver, and the Bears believe they’ve added someone of that caliber with Moore.
“He’s so smooth getting out of breaks,” Bears QB coach Andrew Janocko said. “He gets off the line. He’s savvy … he’s really smart. And with a smart player, a smart receiver, the way they can get off, the way they can beat press, the way they can beat cloud, the way they understand coverages, it really helps you get open so you’re not even thinking about, ‘Is he in the window.’ He’s in the window.”
Buccaneers
Bucs WR Chris Godwin is embracing the youth movement in Tampa Bay’s locker room and said that the energy of the younger players is great to be around.
“We probably used to be one of the older teams and I’d be surprised if we weren’t one of the youngest ones,” Godwin said, via Greg Auman of Fox Sports. “I walked into the building early in OTAs and usually there’s like 10 to 15 guys that are older than me, and there might have been a couple of guys. I’m like, ‘Man, this is weird as s—, dog.’ It’s fun though. We’ve got a lot of young guys, a lot of young energy. It energizes me, energizes all the guys. It’s a new feeling.”
Bucs QB Kyle Trask said Godwin has set a great example for the younger players by showing up every day in the offseason ready to work.
“I think that’s huge, not only for him [but also for] the locker room because he has been such a great leader for us,” Trask added. “What he has done here winning a Super Bowl, and for him to still be here during OTAs shows a lot about his leadership. We really respect that. It’s also really huge for the young guys to see someone of his caliber still coming to work in the middle of the offseason trying to get better.”
Panthers
Panthers DC Ejiro Evero is keeping a watchful eye over Yetur Gross-Matos as he transitions from a defensive end to an outside linebacker in Carolina’s new scheme.
“The guys are doing a lot of different things technically and fundamentally than they’ve done in the past,” Evero said, via Augusta Stone of Panthers.com. “We’re really just focused in on that. We’re not worried about depth charts or anything like that. We’re just trying to get better. It really doesn’t matter, even if you’re a solidified guy like Brian Burns and (Jaycee Horn), or somebody that’s trying to fight to make the team, the only thing that we can all control is just getting better and being the best version of ourselves. That’s all we’re emphasizing and working on. As we work through, those things will sort itself out.”
“He’s doing a heck of a job,” Evero added. “Just like most of our guys, from the first day we were on the field to now, we’ve really seen a lot of growth. And he’ll continue to work through it. But we’re really happy with the progress he’s making.”
Gross-Matos hasn’t made much of an impact since being a second-round selection a couple of years ago. This scheme change under a new coaching staff marks an inflection point for his career, as it could either result in him being shipped out or spark a turnaround.
“My initial reaction was a breath of fresh air,” Gross-Matos said of the move. “I’m excited about it; I know they’re excited about it. We can talk about it all day because it’s new for all of us. So (we) just try and learn as much as we can from each other’s mistakes and what we do well. Before, I was playing D-line, but I was really taking on a lot of double-teams and just in the trenches. Now, I’m really able to use my athleticism more, running more, and covering. We outside linebackers consider ourselves the alphas of the defense because we can do it all – rush the quarterback, cover guys, look at formations. So it’s a bigger responsibility. But, you know, I’m all about it. And it’s been fun.”
Panthers LB Brian Burns likes what he sees from Gross-Matos as he watches from the sidelines this offseason due to ankle surgery.
“He’s doing really well with it,” Burns said. “The main jumps I’ve seen in him is his ability to process because at that position, dealing with coverage drops and all these different terms and checks that we have to deal with, it can be difficult. So being able to compartmentalize your brain to the point where, you know, you’re rushing on this play, and then you got to act like a DB on the next play, that’s kind of difficult to deal with – especially coming from a guy that’s used to 4-3. But he’s taking big strides in it.”
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