Jimmy Graham has had a pretty fortunate career as a tight end in the NFL. Outside of last season, his entire run in the league saw him catch passes from future Hall of Famers. It was true in New Orleans, Seattle, and Green Bay. So he more than anybody understands what good quarterbacks are supposed to look like. That makes his opinion on new arrival Justin Fields something worth noting.
After Thursday’s practice at Halas Hall, Graham took his turn speaking to the media. Eventually, he was asked about his impressions of the rookie. He could’ve easily kept his answer simple and straightforward. Some nice praise and high expectations. Standard procedure. Graham didn’t do that. He went the extra mile. Unprompted mind you. In addition to praising Fields to the highest degree, he even unloaded a noteworthy comparison to a certain other QB he’s played with.
“Man, I love the kid. He sits besides me in the locker room. Man, he wants to be good. He wants to be great. He puts in the work. The guy really can throw the ball. That’s been impressive, to see his arm strength.
At some point, I got to get him matched up for the guy up there in Seattle. Especially the ability to make plays while you’re running. It’s been impressive to see him so young (and) so focused. I could tell it definitely reminds me a lot of Russell Wilson.”
That is lofty praise.
Wilson is widely considered among the five best quarterbacks in the NFL. Somebody who will be in the Hall of Fame one day. He’s not wrong in terms of the two have similar skill sets. Wilson is incredibly mobile, which makes it easy to forget how good his arm is. Like Fields, he starred in the Big Ten at Wisconsin before tumbling in the draft further than he should’ve. Going into that first training camp, nobody expected much from him.
Then in the space of a few months, Wilson outperformed projected starter Matt Flynn and stole the starting job as a rookie. Since then he’s gone to several Pro Bowls and won the Super Bowl in 2013. He’s going to retire the franchise leader in every passing category and probably surpass Steve Largent as the greatest Seahawk ever. Fields might be angling to follow a similar path in Chicago.
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Jimmy Graham is seeing the flashes more than anybody
Fields has continued to deliver an assortment of exciting moments in training camp thus far. Both with his arm and his legs. His development is hard to ignore. Many believe he is destined to do the same thing Wilson did nine years ago by stealing the starting job. While the rookie is performing well enough to justify it, he faces far steeper competition. Andy Dalton is not Matt Flynn. He’s a good quarterback.
The 33-year old is proving that in practice. While not the talent Justin Fields is, his experience and poise are showing up consistently. He isn’t bowing to the pressure. This is precisely what head coach Matt Nagy was hoping for. A situation similar to what he had in 2017 with the Kansas City Chiefs. The reliable veteran (Alex Smith) guiding the offense while the talented youngster (Patrick Mahomes) had a chance to sit and learn.
Both QBs are holding up their end of the bargain.
It comes down to whether the rest of the offense can step up. The Bears have questions on the offensive line as injuries mount. Tarik Cohen still isn’t back from his torn ACL. Can Jimmy Graham survive another full season at 35-years old? For once the QBs aren’t the primary issue on that side of the ball, and that is making fans a little uncomfortable. Even so, their excitement with Fields continues to build. Graham just made sure to fan those flames.
