Here's what Bears rookie WR Tyler Scott can learn from veteran DJ Moore
Even in a room full of professional athletes and guys with high levels of athleticism and precision, everybody seems to be in awe of DJ Moore's body control.
There might not be a player on the Bears roster more in tune with his own body, and those of the players around Rookie cornerback Tyrique Stevenson came away from one-on-one drills against the wide receivers impressed with Moore's smoothness on the field.
"I just hate his body control," Stevenson said last week. "I don't hate it, but it's just the way that he understands the game. He understands if I take away this leverage and he has to get to that, he can do certain things to get back to it."
In other words, Moore is thinking two steps ahead of the rookie, which maybe isn't a huge surprise. That comes with experience.
For a rookie receiver like fourth-round pick Tyler Scott, watching Moore is what his coaches want him to do.
"One thing about DJ, he's just so in control of what's going on around him," Scott said. "You can tell he knows when to tempo himself, when to speed up. He's just one step ahead of everything, he kind of sees things before they happen."
That's exactly where Scott wants to be, eventually. The speedster receiver has had some good moments so far in training camp. He has worked some with the first-team offense, but he has seen more action with PJ Walker and the second-team offense.
Scott showed up at Cincinnati in 2020 as a running back before converting to wide receiver. He credited former Cincinnati offensive line coach Mike Brown, who now fills the same role at Wisconsin, with helping him become a true receiver. Scott said Brown was "really hard on me just about being perfect." Scott needed to work on his route running, and he did that.
Scott is a true student of the game. He gets it from his dad, who is also a football junkie. How many current NFL rookies would mention Gale Sayers as their favorite player to watch? Scott did Thursday.
He knows a good football player when he sees one. He sees that in his teammate Moore.
"Just watching him from OTAs on, the biggest thing I'm trying to get is how can I get that controlled tempo that he has, just kind of being one step ahead of everything," Scott said. "With him, it's just experience and that's one thing you can't teach: experience."
Scott will make his preseason debut Saturday when the Bears take on the Tennessee Titans at Soldier Field. He could see a fair amount of action on offense and possibly as a punt returner.
Scott said his goal, at this point, is simply to show that he knows what he's doing.
As for Moore, he and quarterback Justin Fields are already developing a noticeable chemistry on the field. Moore has been extremely dangerous in the intermediate area of the field. Quick slants and comeback routes are his bread and butter.
Backup quarterback PJ Walker, who played with Moore in Carolina, said the 26-year-old receiver is a quarterback's best friend.
"He's one of those guys that you've got to find out there on the football field," Walker said. "If a play called for him and he's partially covered, you can still give him an opportunity to go make that play."
Bears fans should see their first glimpses of that on Saturday.