LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Bears quarterback Justin Fields dropped back in the pocket Tuesday at training camp and immediately felt pressure from his left from Terrell Lewis. Lewis beat left tackle Braxton Jones quickly. It's the type of pass-rush win that might result in the play being blown dead in training camp.
But Fields alters that equation.
The Bears' coaches let the play go, and Fields slid right, stepped up in the pocket, and ripped a laser to Chase Claypool in the left corner of the end zone for a touchdown.
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It was just one illustration of how the Bears are working on conditioning their offensive line to protect an elite playmaker with the ball in his hands. The normal clock for the ball to come out doesn't exist.
"We’ve got to know who we’ve got back there at quarterback," left guard Teven Jenkins said Tuesday after practice. "That man is very special. He’s going to stay in the pocket for six seconds, or seven seconds and break out, run. We’ve got to protect forever. That’s the thing we’ve been preaching about in our offensive meetings or our O-line meetings, we’ve got to protect to infinity."
For left tackle Braxton Jones, he saw first-hand last season how Fields' special athleticism can wash away the sins of the offensive line. With Fields back there, Jones and the Bears' offensive line live by a credence: Never stop.
“We’ve been taught that with Justin, he’s dynamic that you just have to block forever," Jones said Tuesday. "Everything is kind of the same for me. When he is back there, you just have to think that he can make something – he can get us out of the craziest plays when I’m bad too. I’ve noticed that he’ll get me out of – you know, it looks like it’s about to be a sack or I had a bad play there, but he’s just right out the back and starts running. You just have to block forever."
The touchdown pass to Claypool in low red-zone work wasn't the only escape act Fields pulled Tuesday during an uneven first padded practice.
The Bears closed the day with an end-of-half, two-minute drill. After an unsuccessful first attempt, Fields drove the offense down to the opposing 17-yard line before once again showcasing his ability to bail out his offensive line.
On third-and-5, Fields faced immediate pressure up the middle. The third-year quarterback evaded the pressure by moving to his right. Fields kept his eyes downfield, went through his progressions, stepped up, and delivered a strike to DJ Moore for a touchdown.
That's Exhibit B of Fields' ability to bail out his offensive line. Something that Bears' protectors have been getting drilled into them during film sessions during training camp.
“He’ll get you out of anything," Jones said.