If the Bears insist on doing this, they might as well make the most of it.
They’ll start quarterback Justin Fields against the Bills on Saturday afternoon at Soldier Field behind a patchwork offensive line. As much as Fields needs the work, it’s too big a risk for too little a reward in the third and final preseason game. But the decision is made, so the Bears will use this as another step toward getting Fields ready for the regular-season opener Sept. 10 against the Packers. And they’ll be looking for signs of progress.
Fields has had some good moments in training camp, but he has yet to show the steadiness that would solidify him as a franchise quarterback. This is by far the best roster the Bears have put around him in his three seasons, which inherently will bring some improvement, but Fields hasn’t made a convincing case that he has improved individually.
As a passer, that is. There never has been any doubt about his running ability.
But in 2022, Fields and the Bears learned the hard way that’s not nearly enough. He became the third quarterback in NFL history to reach 1,000 yards but finished last among starting QBs with 149.5 passing yards per game.
That’s a jarringly low output. Mitch Trubisky averaged more than 200 yards per game in his Bears tenure, as did Nick Foles. Even Andy Dalton topped 180. The last Bears starter to average fewer passing yards was Kyle Orton as a rookie in 2005.
As Fields tries to develop, the key is precision in every aspect — and facing a strong Bills defense will be a good test. His throwing has to get sharper after a season in which Pro Football Reference ranked him 28th in accuracy at 71.1%. His 60.4 completion percentage — barely up from his rookie season — was 31st among the 33 quarterbacks who threw at least 200 passes.
Part of the problem last year was that the Bears didn’t have receivers who could get open, but DJ Moore — who came from the Panthers via trade in March — is an instant solution because he’s always open. He can change everything for Fields, whether it’s on a screen pass or a deep shot. But Fields has to be accurate enough to maximize this new weapon.
Although Moore leads the revamped receivers room, Chase Claypool and Darnell Mooney also will factor significantly — and both still need to establish cohesion with Fields. Mooney had a choppy 2022 season before an ankle injury knocked him out in late November; it would be good to see Fields connect with him Saturday. As for Claypool, he has missed more than two weeks with a hamstring injury. That’s problematic, but there’s nothing Fields can do about it.
When Fields played seven snaps against the Titans in the preseason opener, he didn’t attempt a pass beyond the line of scrimmage and didn’t hit Mooney. It’d be encouraging for the Bears if he does both against the Bills.
The intermediate passing game is crucial. Fields has shown a great deep ball and has help from Moore and others to turn short passes into big gains. But those situations won’t always be there. He has to be reliable in the middle range, and part of that is learning to take advantage of a defense’s preoccupation with his running ability.
While most want Fields to prove he can hang in the pocket, he doesn’t necessarily have to do it that way. He can scramble away from pressure to buy time to throw rather than sprint for as many yards as he can get. The key is maintaining a wide view downfield while on the move. Now that he has multiple wide receivers who can get open regularly — plus tight end Cole Kmet and running back Khalil Herbert — it’s imperative he doesn’t miss those moments because of narrow vision.
Fields ultimately might be just fine regardless of his hiccups in camp, but it certainly would be reassuring if he offered some concrete proof Saturday.
