Chicago Bears: Rookies already making an impression after just one week

The Chicago Bears rookies are instilling more confidence after just one game.

The Chicago Bears did not have a first-round pick in this year’s draft. That didn’t prevent them from picking up some players who fit into both the offensive and defensive systems. They ended up with seven picks and six of them made the 53-man roster (Lachavious Simmons was signed to the practice squad).

Of the six rookies, five of them got to play in Week 1. Several got to fill in and give the starters some rest and one was instrumental in the win.

Cornerback Kindle Vildor got in on eight special teams plays. Outside linebacker Trevis Gipson played on 12 snaps backing up Barkevious Mingo, who started in place of starter Robert Quinn.

Tight end Cole Kmet was targeted only once (a possible touchdown pass missed by Mitchell Trubisky), but he and newcomer Demetrius Harris allowed head coach Matt Nagy to open things up. He got in on 20 snaps. In those snaps, Nagy was able to use a three tight end set 10 times. That was as many times as he did in the entire 2019 season.

Mooney, Johnson really stepped up for the Chicago Bears in Week 1

Wide receiver Darnell Mooney didn’t receive much attention during training camp. All people around the league knew about him was his blazing speed. That was evident when he got on the field against the Detroit Lions. As soon as he hit the field, he said he heard Detroit’s defenders yell “speed, speed!” He showed, however, that he had some moves to go with that speed.

Mooney played on 21 snaps and caught all three targets that went to him. He had 38 receiving yards, but the biggest catch was when he caught Nagy’s attention. Nagy was really impressed with Mooney’s play and said that he will try to expand the rookie’s role in the offense, via the Chicago Sun-Times:

"The lights were not too bright for him, not at all. You saw his first catch, right over the middle… He caught the ball, went to his knees and had enough recognition to get back up and try to run. You saw the moves he made on his second catch on the left on the spin route… We were just trying to get a feel as to how much he can handle… Without giving you a number, we were really impressed with how he played and I think you’re going to definitely see more of him."

The rookie who had the biggest impact on the game was cornerback Jaylon Johnson. He was supposed to be in a battle against Artie Burns for the starting outside cornerback spot. After Burns went down for the season with a torn ACL, the Bears chucked their plans for easing Johnson in. They named him the starter, hoping for the best.

Johnson rewarded the Bears with an excellent performance. He played in every defensive snap and recorded 6 tackles and 2 passes defended. Those passes defended were huge, occurring in the fourth quarter, and helped the Bears win the game.

The first one was a pass he batted up in the air that the other cornerback, Kyle Fuller, picked off. The Bears offense took over and scored the go-ahead touchdown. On the final play of the game, Johnson again batted a pass going his way and the ball fell to the ground as time ran out.

Johnson said before the game that he knew Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford would test him. He accepted the challenge and passed that test. The future of the Chicago Bears is in good shape if Johnson and the other rookies continue to shine all season long.