Evaluating Justin Fields Could Be Difficult for Bears in 2022

Evaluating Fields could be difficult for Bears in 2022 originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

LAKE FOREST, Ill. – On the outside looking in, the 2022 Bears season should be all about the evaluation and development of quarterback Justin Fields.

If the Bears leave the season knowing they have a franchise quarterback, that’s a win, regardless of their record.

Fields has gotten off to a rough start in Year 2. He is completing just 50.7 percent of his passes and has the worst Completion Percentage Over Expectation (-13.1 percent) of any quarterback with at least 50 throws.

But while everyone not in the building is laser-focused on deciphering if Fields is franchise quarterback material or if the Bears have already cursed him, the Bears aren’t making that a focus amid the grind of the regular season.

“We have a lot more than just evaluating Justin Fields going on right now,” offensive coordinator Luke Getsy said Thursday. “I think that’s easy – that’s what everybody wants to evaluate the quarterback all the time, and I get it. It’s all good. This is a process for all 11. There’s so many factors going into what’s going on around Justin, and to just sit here and say, ‘oh, we’re only focused on is this guy going to be the guy or not,’ that’s literally not even on my mind, or I don’t think that’s on anybody’s mind in this building.

“We’re just in the process of getting better. How can we get each guy in this building to get better every and every week? As long as we continue to get better, then we’re going in the right direction.”

There has been a lot of talk about Fields following and trusting “the process.” The rebuilding of his mechanics has led to a regression in accuracy, which was a plus trait entering the draft. The 23-year-old appears hesitant to pull the trigger on downfield throws to receivers, is holding the ball too long, and isn’t taking easy completions to keep the offense moving.

Getsy said Thursday that he doesn’t believe Fields has had a tough start. He views the steps taken from Week 1 to Week 4 as a clear indication of the incremental progress the Bears have harped on since spring.

“I think he’s gotten better each week,” Getsy said. “I think he’s growing tremendously. And you know, it’s not easy. We’re playing good football teams. And it’s not easy to become the level of quarterback that he wants to become and I know that he can become. And so, the important thing is that we stay focused, keep our eyes on that progress or on that process and we make sure we get better each and every week and I believe that we’re in that phase.”

During the Bears’ Week 4 loss to the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium, Fields recorded season highs in completions and passing yards. The Bears hit explosive pass plays of 56, 24, and 23 yards. That’s a silver lining in a bleak offensive day that saw the Bears go 0-for-3 in the red zone.

Getsy noted a few missed throws Fields had early this season that show the next step in the slow process to build a “better” Justin Fields. But the Bears’ offensive coordinator was also quick to commend his young signal-caller for his physical and mental toughness.  

“No, the areas of improvement are, right, he needs to hit Trestan [Ebner] on that flat route, we need to hit Cole [Kmet] a couple weeks back when he has him open in the seam,” Getsy said. “When the protection breaks down, which he’s had to face a lot of that, this game, he handled it better than other game, and so we just got keep improving upon that. So he’s doing that. And it takes a lot, man. The toughness that that kid has to be able to handle and deal with what he’s dealing with, I mean, it’s impressive that a young man can be that strong and that tough, to take hits that he takes week in and week out and to stand back up there, that speaks volumes of that young man.”

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Whether Getsy and head coach Matt Eberflus say it or not, the Bears are surely evaluating every snap Fields takes this season.

Given the subpar offensive line they put in front of him and lack of skill talent on the outside, it will be impossible for the Bears to get a precise evaluation of what Fields can be at the NFL level.

But Getsy, Eberflus, quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko, and general manager Ryan Poles will keep close track of everything Fields does this season.

That information will play a vital role in how they approach the next step of the rebuild. But it will be difficult for the Bears' new regime to feel confident about their evaluation of Fields given what they've surrounded him with.

In order to truly evaluate a guy who was viewed as a generational talent coming out of high school, the Bears need to keep him healthy and confident before surrounding him with weapons and protection in 2023.

Then, they can evaluate who Justin Fields is.

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