The Chicago Bears look to be on the right path after a strong offseason. General manager Ryan Poles made the most of having the No. 1 overall pick, trading it to the Carolina Panthers for a haul of draft capital and wide receiver D.J. Moore.
Moore’s arrival is excellent news for quarterback Justin Fields, who has been desperate for some help around him offensively. With Moore joining Darnell Mooney and Chase Claypool, Chicago now has a legitimate top-three at the wide receiver position. Not to mention they also signed tight end Robert Tonyan to pair with Cole Kmet.
Heading into Year 3, this is the time for Fields to take that next giant leap in his development. He showed signs in Year 2, the first with Matt Eberflus as the head coach, using his legs to his advantage. If he can continue developing as a passer, which all signs are that he has this offseason, the Bears will be in business.
Another thing that will excite Bears fans is who Fields has worked with this offseason. They recently shared on their official Twitter account that he has been working out with Michael Vick, an electric player in his own right during his playing days.
Vick is a big fan of Fields, giving him some high praise earlier this year. There aren’t many players that understand the hurdles that Fields will have to overcome than Vick, who had to work vigorously on his passing game to take his performance to the next level once teams keyed in on slowing down his rushing game.
Fields was a force on the ground last season, falling just short of Lamar Jackson’s single-season rushing record for a quarterback. The Bears had the No. 1 rushing offense in the NFL but were dead last in passing offense.
If that passing offense can elevate even near the top 20, it will have a huge impact on the team as a whole. With the upgrades that were made at the skill positions this offseason, it is now on Fields to take that next step and grow as a passer.
The Ohio State product finished the 2022 strong before an injury knocked him out for the final two games. There wasn’t much winning going on for the Bears last season, but that will change as long as Fields’ work off the field translates to regular season games.
