The entire point of
Chicago Bears training camp is for the team to practice against each other to sharpen their skills for the upcoming season. This means rivalries are inevitable as players ramp up the intensity, seeing how far they can push each other before one or the other breaks. Lots of trash talk and lots of big plays. Two days into the action this year and one has already begun forming.
Among the things the Bears were anxious to unleash when camp began was their new wide receiving corps. GM Ryan Pace had spent months, millions of dollars and multiple draft picks overhauling the position from top to bottom. The effort was meant to give Mitch Trubisky as many weapons as possible to make his life easier.
This excitement likely wasn't impressing the Bears secondary, including cornerback Kyle Fuller. They were among the best-performing units in 2017. If this new receiving group was supposed to be so good, they would have to earn it on the field. Fuller didn't take long in finding his target in free agent addition Taylor Gabriel.
Based on what happened in the latest practice, the man known as "Turbo" was ready for the challenge.
Gabriel and Fuller making Bears training camp their battleground
Given that both men are designated to play outside in their respective schemes, a showdown was inevitable. They proceeded to trade nice plays throughout practice. Fuller seemed to have the upper hand early on. Trubisky fired a quick out pass to Gabriel towards the sideline. Despite giving plenty of cushion Fuller broke hard and managed to knock the ball away before the receiver could bring it in.
Gabriel continued to have problems shaking Fuller every time they went head-to-head, but true to his nature he found a way by going over the top. Late in a drill, Gabriel carried deep on a fade towards the right corner of the end zone. Fuller was right there with him. Trubisky fired the pass. For a moment it looked like the corner had an interception. Instead, Gabriel came away with the catch of the day for a touchdown.
This is exactly what the Bears were hoping for. It wasn't just Gabriel and Fuller. The receivers and cornerbacks traded big plays all day long. In the end it doesn't matter who got the better whom. It will only serve to make the entire team better for when the real action begins this September. Those two were merely the ones who got the juices going, to their credit.
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