ENGLEWOOD – Jonathon Cooper is hoping to find his old college buddy in the backfield before Sunday’s game ends.

“That’s one of my closest friends on the team. That’s my guy,” the Broncos outside linebacker said of Bears quarterback and friend Justin Fields after Thursday’s practice.

“I’m excited to get to him, for sure.”

Fields and Cooper struck up a friendship at Ohio State in 2019 after the former five-star quarterback transferred from Georgia. The Buckeyes made the College Football Playoff both years Fields spent in Columbus. After losing to Alabama in the 2021 national championship game, Fields declared for the draft.

The Broncos had the chance to select the dual-threat quarterback with the ninth overall pick but went with star cornerback Patrick Surtain II. Fields went to the Bears two picks later and has started 28 or the 30 games he’s appeared in the last three seasons. Though Chicago went 3-12 last year, Fields was a blindingly bright spot. He completed 60.4 percent of his passes for 2,242 yards and 17 touchdowns. But his feet are what set him apart. He also rushed for 1,143 yards and eight touchdowns in his second NFL season.

“He had a really good year rushing the ball last year,” Cooper said. “I feel like that’s just one of the big keys that we have, because we can’t let him get active on his feet. Once he starts getting moving with his feet, it’s really hard to stop him.”

Fields and the Bears have struggled to start his third season. Chicago is 0-3, just like the Broncos. Unlike Denver’s situation, Fields has been a big reason why. He’s thrown more interceptions (4) than touchdowns (3) and rushed for just 109 yards and one touchdown.

“He’s just an all-around athlete. He just possesses different traits from the majority of the quarterbacks in the NFL with his running ability,” Surtain said after Thursday’s practice. “He’s got a strong arm as well. And with a guy like that the challenge is keeping him contained, keeping him in the pocket because he’s very dangerous when he runs the ball.”

Cooper had to wait until the seventh round of the 2021 draft before the Broncos made the call. And he needed three surgeries to repair an irregular heartbeat before his rookie season. He recovered and played in 16 games as a rookie, recording 2.5 sacks with a fumble recovery. He started nine of 14 games last season and has started all three to start this year. That should give the 25-year-old ample opportunities for an early college reunion. To get home for his third sack of this season, Cooper knows he and the rest of the Broncos rushers will have to be disciplined.

“We got to make sure we rush together as a team, as a unit. People can’t just go off and do their own things. That’s when seams open up and gaps get misplaced,” Cooper said. “That’s where you give him opportunities to create plays. This week, we have to make sure we’re rushing together as a unit and stick to our rush plan.”

Cooper hopes to exchange jerseys with his former teammate after the game. If all goes according to plan, there will be some grass stains on Fields’ No. 1 jersey, a sign Cooper got to do something he couldn’t during college practices.

“Red jersey – wasn’t allowed to hit him,” Cooper said. “We used to always talk about it, though, so it should be exciting on Sunday.”