Thomas Graham Jr. was practically born and bred to carry a chip on his shoulder. He’s on the shorter side for a defensive back (5’10). Despite excellent production for a top program at Oregon, he fell to the 6th round in the 2021 draft. Oh and he also plays cornerback, a position renowned for producing players with big egos that talk lots of trash. See Jalen Ramsey. So it shouldn’t be a surprise he’d be chirping the moment he got on the practice field with the Chicago Bears.
What he wasn’t ready for was who’d end up chirping back. Fellow draft class member and 1st round pick Justin Fields. This may come as a shock to Chicago Bears fans. When watching clips of the quarterback both on and off the field, he doesn’t come across as much of a talker. He seems pretty stoic and all business. Yet according to Graham, the QB isn’t afraid to bark at him during drills. He explained this on the Kieq On The Mic podcast.
This shouldn’t be a huge surprise.
Other things that Graham quickly noted about his new quarterback was his self-confidence and his willingness to ask questions. Fields carries himself like he is the man. The one everybody should look to. It doesn’t matter if he makes a mistake. He won’t make it twice. Need direction? Look to him. That is exactly what a team wants from its quarterback. Yet what makes him even smarter is his inquisitive nature.
Normal quarterbacks tend to ask questions regarding pass plays from the coaching staff or other quarterbacks. Fields does this too but he takes it a step further. He goes to the defensive backs and asks for input on how they play the ball and other little tricks they use. This in an effort to get a better idea of where and how he should throw the football in given situations. Graham saw this first-hand. Another reminder of how smart the quarterback is.
Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
Thomas Graham can’t wait to see what happens
His focus is on making the roster and competing for a starting job. The Bears have two of them open right now following the departures of Kyle Fuller and Buster Skrine. He’s in competition with Desmond Trufant, Kindle Vildor, and Duke Shelley for a chance to join Jaylon Johnson on opening day in Los Angeles. That is his obvious focus.
Even so, it is evident he is just as excited as fans to see where Justin Fields goes from here. The 11th overall pick has looked the part thus far in OTAs and minicamps. Aside from the usual mistakes, he’s delivered some truly impressive moments. Many continue to wonder if head coach Matt Nagy will be able to stick with his original plan of starting Andy Dalton.
Time will tell.
Thomas Graham certainly helped add to the intrigue with these latest comments. It appears the Bears’ new quarterback isn’t all bite and no bark after all. He’s not afraid to chirp with defenders. One hopes he’ll carry that onto the field when his time finally comes.