NO TIME LIKE PRESENT
Now is when bears really need their rookies to take step forward
Rookie development is a luxury for good teams, but it’s a necessity for the Bears. Unlike contenders, who consider it a bonus if their draft picks contribute right away, the Bears are depending on it. And they need it now.
With the Bears hosting the Vikings in Week 6 on Sunday, the rookies should be off the runway and ascending. That’s especially true for the players they drafted in the first four rounds — six of the top 135 picks. They need to deliver, and the definition of that varies based on what they’ve shown so far.
Right tackle Darnell Wright and running back Roschon Johnson were instant successes, so the next step is to eliminate rookie mistakes entirely.
Wright is working on it. He missed a crucial block on the infamous fourth-andone against the Broncos, then Pro Football Focus graded him as the Bears’ best runblocker and the NFL’s best rookie tackle the next week.
Johnson quickly claimed the No. 2 spot behind Khalil Herbert and would’ve been the Bears’ primary back Sunday had he not been ruled out with a concussion. He has 122 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries, plus 11 catches for 58 yards.
The next rookie in the spotlight will be receiver Tyler Scott, a fourth-round pick who stirred expectations with his speed but hasn’t gotten much playing time. With Chase Claypool gone and Equanimeous St. Brown on injured reserve, Scott should get his shot Sunday.
Scott hasn’t played more than 15 snaps in a game and has only three catches for 20 yards, but receivers coach Tyke Tolbert said his practice reps would ‘‘increase tremendously’’ this week.
Scott said the key to getting this chance was ‘‘not complaining’’ and making sure he knew the offense completely.
‘‘There might be a more skilled player, but if you know what you’re doing better than him, they’ll choose you,’’ he told the Sun-Times. ‘‘You can have all the skill in the world, but if you don’t know what you’re doing, you can’t be trusted.
‘‘And if you continue to work hard and you’re coachable, good opportunities will come your way. Unfortunately, sometimes through other people’s missteps or an injury, guys who work hard and have a good mentality have good things come their way.’’
That’s exactly what happened for Scott, who sits a few stalls away from Claypool’s recently vacated locker.
As evidence of how urgently the Bears needed help from their draft picks, secondround cornerback Tyrique Stevenson immediately was thrust into a starting role on the outside and has played 82% of the snaps.
Stevenson has been riding the classic rookie learning curve. He got schooled by Buccaneers star Mike Evans in Week 2, then allowed only five completions in the next two games.
He has allowed completions on 72.4% of the passes he has faced for 299 yards and three touchdowns. Quarterbacks will keep picking on him until he makes it clear they shouldn’t.
The Bears drafted defensive tackles Gervon Dexter (No. 53 overall from Florida) and Zacch Pickens (No. 64 from South Carolina) hoping they’d grow quickly and overtake the veterans they have on short-term deals.
Dexter is closer than Pickens and played a season-high 47.1% of the snaps against the Commanders. Pickens’ playing time tapered off to around 20% the last two weeks after averaging 26% in the first three games.
The Bears entered the season with a spectrum of outcomes, ranging from being negligibly better than last season to the fringe of the playoff field. How much they get from their rookies — and how soon, especially now that they’ve started 1-4 — will be a pivotal factor.