NFC Notes: Rashan Gary, Bears, Lions, Packers

Bears

Bears QB Justin Fields admitted that the chemistry between himself and WR D.J. Moore grew quickly and is looking forward to continuing to grow the relationship on the field.

“It did come on quickly,” Fields said, via ESPN. “I didn’t really expect anything because it’s different for each guy, but I feel like with DJ, his body language is pretty easy to read. Early on we communicated on how we want each route ran and stuff like that. Of course, he has a lot of experience. He’s been in the league for a good period of time now. He’s played a lot of football, so he knows different coverages really well. That’s one thing that I was kind of impressed about with the offense coming in and just understanding, seeing coverages really well on short routes and stuff like that. He’s been great. And you know, the chemistry has really picked up.”

Bears HC Matt Eberflus said the team is going to take its shots downfield and that’s been a focus thus far in the passing game this offseason.

“When teams line up in single-high or they line up in single coverages, we’re going to take our shots,” Eberflus said. “That’s really been the theme all offseason. Certainly take what they give you, but we’re certainly going to take shots with the matchups we like.”

Bears WR Chase Claypool and WR Darnell Mooney will have to wait to pick back up on their connections with Fields as they have both been tending to injuries that have held them out of most off-season practices.

“Chase has been out, what, the past two weeks? So, I feel like when Chase was practicing with us, we did get that down a little bit,” Fields said. “I think he grew tremendously from last year until now. So, I think we got a base in. With Mooney, I feel like I’m already connected with Mooney, so that’s fine. But it’s just going to be great having those guys back on the field and having them healthy for training camp, instead of having them come out for three or four practices, risking further injury. The biggest thing with that was just health.”

Lions

Lions OC Ben Johnson said they’ve been getting “back to the basics” in their offseason program and are focusing on the fundamentals with each position group. 

“Our theme this springtime has been back to the basics,” Johnson said, via LionsWire. “And so, we’ve been harping consistently on the fundamentals. We’re breaking it down to the nuts and bolts for each position group. And our coaches have kind of led the charge on that.”

Johnson said having solid fundamentals helped them toward the end of last season. 

“Let’s get really good at the fundamentals because that is what helped us win games at the end last year,” Johnson said. “The fact that we led the League in ball security, we didn’t turn the ball over the second half of the season, that equated into wins for us. So, I think just the recognition of the little things all adding up and paying big dividends for us in offense, that’s really the point of it.”

Johnson added they will still be “innovative and creative” with their offensive system but thinks they could’ve been more productive in some of their runs last season. 

“We will still push the envelope. We’ll still be innovative and creative on offense, don’t get me wrong,” said Johnson. “But I just came away saying, ‘Shoot man, we left a lot of meat on the bone in a lot of ways.’ Because I think I talked about it, some of the runs we could have had explosives. We could’ve had eight, nine yards when we were still at three or four, so just a few things when we looked back at last year.”

Packers

During a recent minicamp press conference, Packers edge rusher Rashan Gary was asked about his timeline for returning to the field after his ACL injury. Gary responded by saying, “I’ll be ready when I’ll be ready.”

Gary also emphasized that he is taking a day-by-day approach, focusing on every step and ensuring there is no doubt about his health before his comeback. 

“I’m just making sure I’m squeezing the towel as much as I can every day, making sure I’m not leaving not one inch of doubt of if I pushed it to my all, so that’s all, man. Just going 100 percent day by day and we’ll see where I’ll be,” Gary said, via Steve Megaree of the Associated Press. 

• ESPN’s Rob Demovsky writes the Packers will want to make sure Gary is all the way back from his torn ACL before committing major money to him on a long-term deal. However, he adds that could happen as soon as the start of the regular season. 
• Packers HC Matt LaFleur said he’s in contact with Gary every day regarding his recovery: “We all see the intensity with which he plays. He is a game wrecker, a guy who can significantly impact whether you’re winning or losing, but I just love his approach, his work ethic,” via Ryan Wood.