The Chicago Bears have their NFL preseason opener against the Tennessee Titans this afternoon. Will we see the first glimpse of franchise quarterback Justin Fields? We take a look at what we know so far.
Is Justin Fields Playing in Preseason Opener?
Bears head coach Matt Eberflus announced that Justin Fields will take to the field in their preseason opener on Saturday, giving a simple answer to the media, an absolute “yes.” Eberflus did not go into detail about the amount of game time Fields will face. But he is expected to only play “a limited number of snaps.”
#Bears coach Matt Eberflus says selected starters "will play here and there" in the preseason opener Saturday against the #Titans. He says Justin Fields will play.
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) August 9, 2023
Eberflus continued, “We’ll talk with the coaches about guys when they’re going to play and how many reps for each guy. That will be an individualized thing. We’ll have selected starters play here and there and then we’ll figure that out as we go with the coaches today.”
The Bears have decided to play some starters which include prized quarterback Fields and first-round 2023 NFL Draft pick Darnell Wright.
When asked about his decision Eberflus said, “I just think you gauge it year by year, you make an educated decision based on what your offensive coordinator’s saying to you and what your quarterback coach is saying to you and what you see with your eyes as the head football coach.”
How To Watch Tennessee Titans at Chicago Bears
- Start time: 1 p.m. ET
- Channel: NFL Network
- Live stream: NFL+
What To Expect From Justin Fields in 2023?
The Bears have been searching for a franchise-defining quarterback forever. It finally seems like they have found their guy in Fields. Heading into his third season, there are bigger things now expected of Fields after a breakout year in 2022.
Trading out of the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft allowed them to collect draft capital for the future while acquiring a WR1 in DJ Moore. Moore spoke to Peter King from NBC and said playing with Fields is “electrifying.”
“He’s young, he’s like a sponge wanting to learn. Go out there and throw the ball deep, intermediate, short, he just wants to put us in the best possible position to win. So I’m looking forward to it.”
Fields has already developed good chemistry with Moore — they have shown a great connection through camp.
JUSTIN FIELDS TO MOORE pic.twitter.com/TbfB3oB4pM
— JustinFieldsBurner (@JustinFieldsAlt) August 8, 2023
The Bears also have Chase Claypool, Darnell Mooney, and added Tyler Scott through the NFL Draft to stretch the field.
One area where the Bears need to improve to help Fields is along the offensive line. Fields was sacked 36 times in the regular season and the Bears decided to draft Wright in the 2023 NFL Draft to help solidify up front.
On setting targets for the season, Fields shared with ESPN he doesn’t set individual goals. But when asked about a 4,000-yard season, Fields said, “A Bears quarterback hasn’t done it yet, so that would be cool. With the help of this guy [Moore], hopefully, I can get there.”
Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy has also seen a more “comfortable” Fields: “It’s fun to be able to talk deeper into the concepts and stuff,” adding, “I think having those next-level conversations with Justin makes everything look like he’s more comfortable with what we’re doing.”
The Bears have done a good job surrounding Fields with better talent entering 2023. If he can continue to feel comfortable in this offense, we should see a more balanced and dynamic QB in 2023.