Justin Fields came in with a lot of hype. Chicago Bears fans have learned to fear such a thing when it comes to quarterbacks. Understandable. They’ve been burned several times by that. See Jay Cutler and Mitch Trubisky for recent examples. That said, there was some justification in Fields’ case. He’d dominated for two years at Ohio State. He’d been in Heisman conversations consistently and carried his team to the CFB playoffs twice.
There was no denying his physical tools. They were arguably the best in the entire 2021 draft class. What people weren’t sure about was his intelligence and his commitment to becoming great. Concerns that baffled those who were close to him. Not that the Bears are complaining. Those criticisms enabled Fields to drop in the 1st round, enabling them to secure him at 11th overall.
Something the people at Halas Hall are thanking their lucky stars for.
Louis Riddick has strong connections inside the organization. He’s good friends with head coach Matt Nagy. He went on ESPN Get Up to reveal what he has heard out of Bears training camp thus far. There were no minced words. Everybody in the building is ecstatic about his performance thus far. Blown away even. His development has been rapid and it’s becoming tougher and tougher not to get carried away with daydreaming.
Under normal circumstances, the progression arc that Fields is on would make him the unquestioned starter going into September. However, Andy Dalton stills stands in his way. The veteran has looked sharp in practices as well. Enough to where it’s fair to offer him praise in his own right. Despite some offensive line issues, he’s had a string of efficient practices. The Bears want to hold to their plan of letting Fields sit and learn. Dalton is making it easier to stick to it. Still, the rookie isn’t going to let up by the sound of it.
Justin Fields just connected with deep pass to WR Jon’Vea Johnson for a TD in 7 on 7 drills. #Bears
— Zack Pearson (@Zack_Pearson) August 5, 2021
Now Justin Fields with a great throw to Riley Ridley along the right sideline. Deep ball. QBs are slinging it in 7-on-7.
— Nicholas Moreano (@NicholasMoreano) August 5, 2021
A tradition unlike any other, a Justin Fields to Jesse James touchdown at Bears camp.
— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) August 5, 2021
In a red zone situation, Justin Fields throws a dart up the middle for Rodney Adams in the end zone. Fields showing off that arm strength.
— Sean Hammond (@sean_hammond) August 5, 2021
#Bears just wrapped up an extended 7 on 7 red zone session. Lot of reps. Highlight throws:
Dalton to AR12 on outside with Trufant in tight coverage. Fields nice anticipation throw to Chris Lacy and a well-placed throw to Jester Weah in end zone.— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) August 5, 2021
One thing that continues to stand out about Justin Fields here in Bears camp is his ability to change the velocity of his throws based on how the play unfolds and defense. Coaches talk about having different clubs to use. He has them. You see it all the time.
— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) August 5, 2021
Justin Fields’ time will come. He should be ready whenever that is.
Things are unfolding exactly as hoped. Nagy wanted Dalton and Fields to make things tough on him. As in both performing well in camp. This is indeed happening. There isn’t much of a rollercoaster to their days in practice. Sure they have their share of mistakes against a strong defense, but their efficiency remains high. Good moments outweigh the bad. This is not something people saw much last year with Nick Foles and Mitch Trubisky.
There is still plenty of work to do. More padded practices are to come including the first live tackling periods. Justin Fields is likely to see more and more complex defensive alignments designed to confuse him. There will be learning experiences. The preseason opener against Miami is 11 days away.
All of this will be used to further his development.
Nobody can say for sure when Fields will make his first official start. It could be early in September. It could be after the bye week or it could be towards the end of the regular season. There is no denying the job will be his eventually. It comes down to when Dalton allows that to happen. No matter the timing, it sure sounds like the rookie will be ready.