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Bears fans got a glimpse of how special Justin Fields’ and DJ Moore’s connection could be toward the end of Sunday’s Family Fest practice at Soldier Field.
The situation: the offense needed a touchdown to win the game and had the ball at the 5-yard line.
Fields took the snap and stood at the 10 before he threw a tight pass that Moore caught at the back of the end zone while keeping both feet down to secure the win.
Moore called the pass a “faith ball,” another example of just how quickly the quarterback-wide receiver duo have developed a strong connection.
“He’s doing a lot of different things off-script, things they say he didn’t do last year,” Moore said of Fields on Sunday. “I’m seeing positives from him.”
The touchdown was the second time the duo connected for a score. During the first-team offense’s second attempt of driving down the field Sunday, the Bears had the ball at the 14 and Fields dumped the ball to Moore and let him use his athleticism to score.
Moore caught the ball around the 10 and maneuvered around a couple defenders to go vertical and score the first touchdown of the day. The catch ended a 74-yard drive.
During his second touchdown catch, Moore said he couldn’t make eye connection with Fields because of his height and the offensive line blocking his view. But Moore ran the backline of the end zone and made his defender go one step further.
Fields finding ways for Moore to use his talents will be a major key if the Bears find success this season. Coach Matt Eberflus knew how talented Moore was when the team traded this past draft’s No. 1 overall pick to acquire him and future draft pick from the Carolina Panthers, but Moore continues to surprise.
“He’s just quicker than I thought he was,” Eberflus said. “He really captures space well and separation.”
Moore admitted that he and Fields are surprised just how quickly they built a connection. Moore credited the speed to how much time they’ve spent together since the Bears acquired Moore in March.
Fields and Moore worked together early during offseason training activities during the spring and spent time away from the team’s facilities working on developing a rhythm. Moore has watched how Fields makes check downs on his own more and is more comfortable with putting the ball where his playmakers need it.
“It’s good to see a lot of trust went into it at first because we always used to ask questions back and forth,” Moore said. “So now that we get live reps, it comes to fruition.”
Although Eberflus is excited to see Fields’ and Moore’s relationship grow stronger, he’s also seen growth from Fields with his other targets during training camp. Fields threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to tight end Cole Kmet during red zone drills Sunday and hit wide receiver Chase Claypool for an eight-yard touchdown on another red zone attempt.
Eberflus said the key to those connections is the growing trust Fields is starting to have with his receiving corps.
“Guys are where they’re supposed to be,” Eberflus said. “He knows that. He knows the rhythm and timing of that. And then the adjustments off that. If you’re playing man to man, if a guy’s going to stop and work away for example, he knows that, and he knows to put it six inches in front of the guy. There’s a lot of detail to that and those guys are starting to trust each other.”
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