When Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus took over the Chicago Bears as general manager and head coach, they knew the kind of mess that they were getting into. The roster was barren of many long-term building blocks and the cap situation was messy. Knowing it would take some time to fix things, 2022 was always going to be a rebuilding year.
The most important thing this year would be the development of their younger players, specifically quarterback Justin Fields. The Bears traded up with the New York Giants in the 2021 NFL Draft to select Fields out of Ohio State with the No. 11 overall pick.
There were some serious struggles for Fields as a rookie and at the start of his second season. Learning new offenses is never an easy thing to do and even veterans can struggle with it; just look at Russell Wilson and the Denver Broncos. The supporting cast around Fields is also underwhelming, to say the least, as he has been sacked 40 times, the most in the NFL.
Despite that, you can see the talent that he possesses. He has begun to get things on track after a rough month to start the season. Since then, he has been one of the most dynamic players in the league.
One NFL scout that spoke to NFL Analysis Network believes that Fields is only beginning to scratch the surface of his potential. In a few years, we are going to see him realize the talent that made him a top recruit and eventually a first-round pick.
“In no more than three years, we’re going to be talking about Justin Fields as a top-five NFL quarterback. He’s got that ability. Everyone is talking about his legs, but his arm is much more talented than we have seen yet. Just wait.”
His legs are what is making him successful right now as he is on pace to break the single-season rushing record for a quarterback. But, he has made strides as a passer, which the Bears have to be very excited about.
Fields has completed at least 60 percent of his passes in five consecutive games and six out of the last seven. His comfortability in Eberflus’ system is improving, which is leading to an increase in confidence and production.
Once Chicago can upgrade the supporting cast around him on the offensive line and wide receiver positions, we could really see Fields take off. We have seen what adding top-flight pass-catching talent can do for young quarterbacks and Fields should be the next one to be given the chance to make that kind of jump.
