What’s the book on Justin Fields around the NFL? Bears QB has to ‘figure out the simple’ to get to the next level.
CHICAGO — This is a story of excitement, of hope, of grand dreams. This is a story of one city’s thirst to have its forever quarterback in place and the monumental challenges to make that a reality. This is a story about greatness versus weakness, about possibility versus probability, about speculation and forecasting.
This is the book on Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields and his quest to become the no-doubt savior for one of the NFL’s charter franchises.
Foreword
Pick a word to describe Justin Fields’ 2022 season.
Encouraging? Spectacular? Uneven?
They all might fit.
Now pick the most apt description for the soon-to-be 24-year-old quarterback’s long-term future.
Intriguing? Unlimited? Uncertain?
The NFL world has been dizzying itself in assessing who Fields is as a player right now and what that might mean for who he will become.
At the scouting combine this week in Indianapolis, the chatter has remained wide-ranging with continued belief in some circles that the Bears quarterback has an opening to become one of the league’s brightest stars. On the other side of the discussion, concerns remain about how quickly — if at all — Fields will be able to reduce his current limitations.
“No one wants to play against that kid. I can tell you that much,” one league executive said. “And if you have him, I can only imagine how much it would stimulate your own imagination for what’s possible. He’s pretty damn talented.”
That same exec, though, retains significant reservations about proclaiming Fields a can’t-miss, top-tier star, pointing out that the Bears passing attack was too feeble last season to downplay. With the Bears held below 150 net passing yards in 10 of Fields’ 15 starts, quarterback accountability and improvement must be at the center of the team’s resurgence equation.
“He does a lot of the big things really well. Now figure out the simple,” the exec said. “Do the simple things regularly. Just hit the (bleeping) check-down every now and then. Don’t try to make every play a highlight.”
What’s undisputed is that Fields has arrived on center stage as one of the league’s most compelling characters to hyperanalyze and discuss as the Bears chart a course to a more promising future. Fields’ explosive athleticism is undeniable. His playmaking artistry is proven. His leadership skills are impressive. Yet his passing production lags behind where many evaluators believe it should be after two seasons.
The man who matters most in the assessment, Bears general manager Ryan Poles, might have provided the most spot-on thumbnail review Tuesday in a hallway inside the J.W. Marriott. Poles reiterated that he intends for Fields to be his starting quarterback in 2023.
“His athletic ability and ability to create explosive plays were special,” he said. “Now, what we’ve had discussions about — and I’ve talked about it openly — is he has to take the next step in his game. I’m excited to see that because I think he’s going to.”
There you have it. That have should been enough — but definitely won’t be — to squelch all the “Should the Bears trade Justin Fields?” noise echoing from made-for-debate sports talk shows. But it does give the Bears direction at a pivotal point in a potentially landmark offseason.
So now what?
Count NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah among those curious to see where this story goes. Jeremiah says the current evaluation of Fields is “both easy and complicated.”
“It’s easy in that you can see
