Bears’ Stance On Justin Fields Reportedly Hasn’t Improved. Here’s Why
One thing the Chicago Bears promised this past off-season was they’d give Justin Fields a fair shot to secure the starting quarterback job long-term. However, there were conditions. They needed to see more consistency, better situational awareness, and a legitimate effort to better protect himself from unnecessary hits and sacks. They’ve kept their word, allowing Fields to start every game without any hint of making a change despite backup Tyson Bagent going 2-2 while he was injured.
Over the past five games, Fields seems to have improved. He’s thrown nine touchdowns to only two interceptions while rushing for 291 yards. If not for a pair of brutal 4th quarter collapses by the defense, he might’ve gone 4-1 in those games. Many fans and some in the media believe Fields has done enough to earn another year as the starter, even if the Bears end up with the #1 overall pick. Unfortunately, what matters is the opinions of the people at Halas Hall. According to Jeff Hughes of Da Bears Blog, they still aren’t convinced.
Much of it concerns his ongoing rollercoaster process in the pocket.
“Is the quarterback’s tenure in Chicago officially over? If the season ended Monday night, that answer would surely be yes; the lack of week-to-week consistency would not prohibit the Bears from using one of their high draft picks on a quarterback prospect. Fields has ability; he is a brilliant runner capable of making dynamic plays off-script. But if you listened to Troy Aikman on Monday night, you heard an analyst incredibly skeptical of Fields’ ability to play the position from the pocket. Folks in the building share that skepticism.”
Justin Fields has improved, but not enough.
That may sound unfair, but it’s the harsh reality of the situation. His passer rating is slightly better than last year (92.3) but still below the league average. He’s still averaging less than 200 yards passing per game (198.4). His threat as a runner has also lost a lot of its heat. His average is down by 16.2 yards per game compared to last year, and he’s only scored one touchdown. Fields had eight in 2022. All of this comes despite considerable upgrades to his supporting cast with a bolstered offensive line and a legitimate star wide receiver in D.J. Moore.
His 3.13 seconds of Time To Throw is the highest in the NFL, which means he’s still holding the ball too long. None of this even accounts for his ghastly eight 4th quarter turnovers this year. Nobody disputes Justin Fields is a tremendous physical talent. He is resilient and a respected locker room leader. The harsh truth is all of that isn’t enough. He still doesn’t function at a high enough level where it matters most for an NFL quarterback. If you want to win big games in this league, you have to win from the pocket at some point.
Fields can do it once in a while, but not nearly enough. Five games remain. He is running out of time to make a true statement.