Bears quarterback Justin Fields emerged as one of the NFL’s most electric players during the 2022 season due to his elite rushing ability.
Fields rushed for 1,143 yards — second-most ever by a quarterback — and eight touchdowns last season. Fields rushed for 100-plus yards in three games, including a career-high 178 rushing yards against the Dolphins. Fields eclipsed 70 rushing yards in eight games.
Fields was the NFL’s most explosive runner during the 2022 season, according to Next Gen Stats, where he was ahead of the likes of Seattle’s Kenneth Walker III and Jacksonville’s Travis Etienne.
Fields’ 2022 season was visually thrilling. Statistically, it was incredible, especially considering the state of the Bears last year.
What Fields did in 2022 was a matter of making the most out of a less-than-ideal situation. The Bears lacked weapons offensively and struggled because of it, but Fields often kept them afloat otherwise. His ability to create positive gains with his legs only makes him more dangerous, and unless Chicago confines him to the pocket indefinitely, it’s safe to expect he’ll end up on this list again a year from now.
When breaking it down, Fields earned an explosive score of 98 (the next closest was 90). Fields had 33 runs of 10-plus yards (20.6%) and 89 runs that eclipsed 15 mph (55.6%), which was the most in the NFL. Simply put, Fields was magic.
While Fields made it clear he doesn’t want to rush for 1,000 yards again, there’s no doubt that his running ability will remain a huge component of the Bears offense moving forward. And Fields will always be a threat to break off a long run.
