Tuesday was a rough one for Chicago Bears fans as they received news from the media that Justin Fields struggled in team drills. He threw an ugly pick-six to Jaylon Johnson and watched another pass bounce off his receiver’s chest into the waiting hands of Jaquan Brisker. Several of his throws didn’t look overly sharp. It led to inevitable questions about where he and the offense, in general, was at.
Fields didn’t sugarcoat it. When asked if he was anxious to play actual games right now, he said no. He doesn’t feel ready to play yet. He’s not prepared. More time is required to master Luke Getsy’s new system and to build chemistry with his wide receivers. Despite that, the quarterback showed his competitive streak on Wednesday when he fired back at the defense with one of his best practices of the summer. Head coach Matt Eberflus heaped praise on him for excellent accuracy and chunk plays.
Matt Eberflus offered praise for Justin Fields' "really nice day today," pointing towards his timing and precision leading the Bears' offense.
— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) June 15, 2022
“Really nice day today.” — Bears coach Matt Eberflus on Justin Fields’ practice today.
He was noticeably better than yesterday. More completions and chunk plays.
— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) June 15, 2022
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Justin Fields was on his game at #Bears minicamp Day 2. Bunch of impressive throws. Couple of drops for Velus Jones. I'm weirdly excited about Chris Finke.
— Mark Carman (@thecarm) June 15, 2022
Justin Fields has a long way to go, but progress is progress.
Having a good day like this is a great boost of confidence, both for him and the rest of the offense. It’s a reminder that they are capable of playing good football. They just have to keep working hard. Once everybody is on the same page, success will follow. The tricky part is figuring out who will be the starters on this offense come September. That question is difficult to answer, especially along the offensive line.
Teven Jenkins was demoted to the second-team unit last week. Veteran Dakota Dozier has been competing for the starting right guard job. He was carted off the field on Tuesday with a knee injury. Braxton Jones is starting at left tackle. He’s a rookie. As for the wide receivers, everybody outside of Darnell Mooney has suffered from inconsistency thus far. Justin Fields will have to navigate a difficult situation.
One can only hope things start to solidify around the start of training camp at the end of July. Either way, he seemed pointed in the right direction.
