Gauging where Justin Fields is at in shorts was never going to be easy. Still, it’s never bad to hear the young Chicago Bears quarterback is doing well. According to head coach Matt Eberflus, the 23-year-old delivered his best performance of the young offseason at Monday’s OTA practice on June 6th. Fields was sharp from beginning to end in drills, producing multiple big plays through the air.
Eberflus described them as “chunk” plays. In football terminology, that typically means plays of 20 yards or more. So by his count, Fields completed 11 passes of 20 yards or more. That is pretty impressive, considering how new the offense is to him and how little experience he has throwing to most of his receivers not named Darnell Mooney. What stood out the most to Eberflus was Fields’ footwork and timing. Both were significantly more efficient.
Bears head coach Matt Eberflus was pleased with Monday’s practice coming off a week away from the facility.
"The offense had an outstanding day on Monday. I think I counted 11 chunk passes and 1 chunk run. The defense came back today … had a lot of nice plays on the ball."
— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) June 8, 2022
Bears coach Matt Eberflus says it’s unmistakable that QB Justin Fields’ footwork and timing are significantly upgraded from what Eberflus saw on film from last season. It’s a big part of why he’s optimistic about Fields making a jump this season.
— Jason Lieser (@JasonLieser) June 8, 2022
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Justin Fields has work to do, but he’s going in the right direction.
True to form, the defense rebounded two days later on Wednesday, giving the offense headaches with some takeaways and aggressive coverage. That is to be expected. They still hold the edge in terms of talent even though they too are learning a new system. One must not forget the head coach is a defensive specialist, and most of his staff has worked together in the past. Such is not the case for the offense.
That should not dampen the positive vibes Eberflus gave off when speaking about Justin Fields. He seemed like somebody who believed the quarterback is making progress. He’s already operating more as a professional should. As his understanding of the scheme and chemistry with the receivers improve, the good days should become more frequent.
Bears fans can decompress a little bit. Fields isn’t floundering. He’s picking things up on schedule. With no mismanagement from Matt Nagy to worry about, he finally has a chance to make real strides in his game. One hopes that Monday was only a prelude of things to come.
