Pro Football Network wrote last month about Chicago Bears third-year QB Justin Fields and his struggles over his first three games this season. But over his last two appearances, there has been marked improvement.
And that improvement was noticed by Bears head coach Matt Eberflus.
“Yeah, I mean just poise. I saw poise the entire time. You can see him being comfortable in the pocket, going through his reads. You know, deliver the ball on time, but that takes everybody, it takes the receivers being in the right spot, it takes the protection, and that’s what I saw,” Eberflus said shortly after last Thursday’s decisive 40-20 victory over the host Washington Commanders when speaking with the media.
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Insight Into Improvement by Chicago Bears QB Justin Fields
A personnel source who has watched Fields’ tape this season said that he is starting to “trust” what he sees and is not “dropping his eyes” as he was when he was struggling during the team’s first three games.
MORE: Bears’ Justin Fields Silences Critics With Stellar TNF Performance
When quarterbacks drop their eyes and don’t see the entire field, they tend to leave passes short of the mark.
“He was locking in one guy and really wasn’t taking in what the play was designed for. I know everyone wants to knock their coaches, but guys were open, and he wasn’t seeing them,” the source said.
Justin Fields gets some time in the pocket and drops a perfect pass to DJ Moore for 58 yards. pic.twitter.com/SftxsFvWnE
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) October 6, 2023
Fields, who posted eight passing touchdowns and just two turnovers (interception, lost fumble) over the past two games, is more willing to make throws.
As the personnel source indicated, he wasn’t pulling on passes when he was struggling, but now?
“You can see he’s way more comfortable and would plant his foot, and that ball was out. That’s what you want to see in a young quarterback. Execute the play like it’s designed. He has a lot of tools, and you saw last season when he was comfortable in what they were asking him to do that he could be effective.”
Fields is in the second year of offensive coordinator Luke Getsy’s system. And from talking to personnel sources about not only Fields but other young quarterbacks, it’s the second year in the system where coaches who are working with these players typically start to see a jump.
It’s about getting more practice and game reps in the system and starting to process information better and less thinking about the play as it unfolds.
Just as a recent example, Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts, who struggled a bit in his first year under head coach Nick Sirianni’s offensive system, took off in a major way in Year 2 of the system.
Of course, the Eagles added WR A.J. Brown last year to go along with WR DeVonta Smith and TE Dallas Goedert, which helped Hurts advance. Hurts has a dominant pass target in Brown, and now Fields has his with former Carolina Panthers WR DJ Moore, who was acquired via trade earlier this year.
Moore posted an incredible 16 receptions for 361 yards to go along with four TDs in the last two weeks. And over his first five games with his new team, Moore has posted three performances of 100+ yards.
Fields still has a long way to go, and no one should think just yet that he is the answer at the position after two good games in a row. However, the talent he possesses has never really been in question. It’s the lack of consistently good play over a prolonged period of time that has been the issue.