Assessing Bears QB Justin Fields' performance, development: A roundtable discussion (2024)

It wasn’t a real controversy. But offensive coordinator Luke Getsy finally ended what remained of the debate about who was at fault for the Bears’ wide-open missed touchdown in the end zone against Washington.

Did tight end Ryan Griffin stop his route too short on the play-action play? Or did quarterback Justin Fields just miss him?

Getsy was asked for his unfiltered assessment Friday.

“It’s simple, right?” Getsy said. “Guys did a good job. We just missed a throw. I don’t think it’s anything more than that.”

In a way, Getsy’s answer provides insight into how the Bears are coaching Fields. Getsy and quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko will challenge him and coach him hard despite the difficult circ*mstances around him.

The Bears’ protection for Fields is suspect, but every play is different. He’s not doing what he should be doing when the pocket is holding up. The Commanders game was full of examples.

“That was actually one thing that me, Luke and Andrew talked about,” Fields said. “I felt like later in the game, like my internal clock was speeding up a little bit, just because of maybe the past pockets that I would get in the game. So I just told them if they feel like I’m getting antsy and maybe leaving the pocket too early when it’s there, just remind me to reset — like reset after every play.

“Because there are going be times when I do have time and I can sit in there, but that’s definitely a big thing, just making sure that just because they got back here fast the last play or two, three plays ago, doesn’t mean they are going to get back fast. So just playing every play. Every play is going to be different.”

At this point, every evaluation of Fields feels that way, too. You’ve heard enough from me. In an effort to broaden the discussion about Fields, I reached out to some of The Athletic’s national NFL writers — Kalyn Kahler, Diante Lee, Ted Nguyen and Nate Tice — for their thoughts and analysis. I sent over seven questions. Here are their responses.

When you look at Justin Fields’ numbers, what do they tell you about his development and what’s afoot for the Bears this season and potentially beyond?

Nguyen: A number that stood out was how few option plays and designed runs have been called for Justin Fields this season. According to CBS’s Ben Fennel, of Fields’ 54 rushing attempts, 12 weren’t scrambles from pass concepts and two were busted plays and one was a QB sneak. It’s criminal not to use Fields’ elite running ability. There are so many examples of other teams buying time to help their athletic quarterbacks develop by using a heavy option attack, yet the Bears are putting their QB in bad situations. A great example of an offense they can copy right now is what Arthur Smith is doing in Atlanta with Marcus Mariota. He’s calling a high-volume rushing attack with creative options and max protection play-action passes — Fields can do all those things.

What does the film reveal about Fields’ development?

Nguyen: I would say it’s almost 50/50 as far as who is responsible for sacks and pressures with Fields and the offensive line. There are times when he holds the ball and invites pressure and there are times when the pressure comes so quickly he has no chance. He seems to find the right receiver most of the time, but he can hesitate to pull the trigger in tight coverage. This may sound strange, but I almost would rather him fire more passes in small windows so he can learn what kind of passes he can make even if it results in more interceptions rather than keep taking sacks.

.@justnfields with a DIME to @dmainy_13 for 6 🙌

📺: #WASvsCHI on @NFLonPrime pic.twitter.com/HXNH4l6rU0

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) October 14, 2022

Tice: First, the good: Fields’ footwork and motion have tightened up. Far more consistent than last season but still with a ways to go on consistency. Despite taking shot after shot for the past calendar year, Fields is still not afraid to try to make a big play with his arm or go for the extra yard as a runner. There are glimpses of him attempting to take a safer answer with an underneath option or letting go of the ball to save himself another body blow. His legs are definitely still a weapon and he still hasn’t lost his penchant for using his arm strength to push the ball.

On the flip side, he is still his own worst enemy and still has to quicken up his internal clock. It’s understandable given the protection he has had, but there are times when he is looking to run well before routes have developed. Possibly not taking advantage of the few opportunities he is given as far as a workable pocket. He does look like he’s trying to do the right thing, going through a mental checklist of footwork, arm mechanics and going through his progression, but at times that can lead him to playing mechanical. The scrambling has been fantastic, but Fields just needs to continue to speed everything up and make sure he’s ready to take advantage of the good opportunities when he gets them.

What’s your early evaluation of Luke Getsy as a full-time play caller?

Tice: Someone who seems to know the talent level of his offense. The Bears have been running plenty of zone runs and bootlegs, run and pass concepts that raise the floor of your offense. Understanding that the best skill players available are his running backs and attempting to help out his blockers in any way he can by keeping things simple. The issue is that the ceiling becomes limited, especially as far as passing the ball. And while the Bears receiving options are a big heaping of “meh,” a shifting of tendencies — straight dropback plays on run downs, for example — would help the Bears offense breathe a bit to at least slow down well-scouted defenses a hair from teeing off.

Nguyen: I need to see him adjust and turn his offense into a heavy option attack. Not catering your offense to your quarterback’s strength is criminal.

What concerns you more: the Bears’ offensive line or receiving corps?

Kahler: This is such a hard question! I’m concerned about both, but from what I’ve seen this season, Fields is holding on to the ball for way too long, which tells me that nobody is getting open. The two problems obviously go hand in hand, but I think I’m more worried about the receivers. Even in Green Bay this season, where Aaron Rodgers has always made do with whatever he had, we’re seeing what can happen when an offense relies on young receivers who are struggling to master a new offense. In Chicago, it’s worse because the quarterback is also young and learning a new offense. In Chicago’s last game, a 12-7 loss to the Commanders on “Thursday Night Football,” it felt like Fields couldn’t find an open receiver on most plays, and on the rare occasion he did, the receiver dropped the pass, or in the case of Darnell Mooney, bobbled the catch on his way down and landed just short of the end zone while securing it.

Lee: It has to be the offensive line, because that’s an expensive issue to fix for Chicago. Even in the event that the Bears found a franchise tackle, that does nothing to address other holes on the interior or the opposite bookend. Fixing the trenches takes a wholesale approach, and it’s rare that young offensive linemen are hits right out of the gate, so attacking that position in the draft isn’t necessarily a more sound approach than trying to acquire solid veterans through free agency or trades. The receiving corps isn’t far ahead in quality depth, either, but the draft and roster stacking we see across the NFL paints a picture that should encourage Bears fans that the position can be improved dramatically in a short span of time — and without needing to spend the $20 million-plus in annual value we saw others extend to stars this past offseason.

Nguyen: There’s not enough talent. I know that. You know that, They know that. Clearing the books was the path they decided to take at the cost of Fields’ development.

Tice: This is like picking between which terrible horror movie sequel to watch, but I’ll go with “Scream 3,” aka the offensive line. While the receiving options aren’t great, I do think passable pass catchers are far easier to come by than startable offensive linemen. And the Bears need a big ol’ pile of both. They can’t go through another season with Sam Mustipher at center, and that’s just the start of it. They not only need an injection of top-end talent but depth. That takes resources and time. The Bears need to use their oodles of cap space and (almost) full war chest of draft picks to replenish both.

How does Fields’ trajectory compare to those of other young quarterbacks?

Kahler: Well, he’s getting more time on the job learning than his draft classmate Trey Lance, and he had a less mentally damaging rookie season than Trevor Lawrence at least. Fields’ draft class was Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Lance and Mac Jones. No one has really emerged from that class of 2021 peers as a truly elite NFL quarterback yet. Jones, Wilson and Lance have had the benefit of continuity, with the same coaching staff for their first two seasons, while Fields and Lawrence have had to learn a new offense in both years, and you can see how that is challenging in their play this season. Because of their playing style, Fields is always getting compared to Jalen Hurts (class of 2020), but I don’t think that’s really a fair comparison for two reasons. 1) Hurts was a second-round pick and wasn’t even drafted to be the Eagles’ starter. He sort of did that himself when Eagles players really responded to his leadership and his playmaking ability. 2) This offseason, Philadelphia traded for an elite wide receiver in A.J. Brown to support Hurts as a passer, and he’s improved so much because of that. 3) He’s in his second year with Nick Sirianni and offensive coordinator/play caller Shane Steichen. The Bears haven’t done the same with Fields, and Fields came to Chicago with the expectation that he was the future. So I don’t think all hope is lost. I’ve talked to some opposing players at the last couple of Bears games and defensive players speak highly of Fields. They see him as a real threat with his legs, and they think he has potential to be great.

Tice: As far as the other ones in his class, Fields has had the roughest situation. Trevor Lawrence was in the doldrums with Urban Meyer as a rookie, but his surroundings have markedly improved (but still have a way to go). His play has followed, but he’s still learning what he can get away with at the NFL level. Zach Wilson has battled some injuries but has a pretty good situation on the young Jets. But he has yet to build any consistency, and the game still seems a bit fast for him right now. He has shown some flashes of creating, but the jury is still out. Trey Lance is anyone’s guess, with how few games he has played, but he has shown flashes of his size and athleticism. But any Lance evaluation is still TBD. Mac Jones had the best situation of any of his draft counterparts and played like an average NFL starter (I mean that as a compliment for a rookie) in his first year. He is about to come back from injury, but his ceiling as a player is still a question mark. So compared with those other second-year quarterbacks, Fields is right there with them in having unknowns that still need to be answered. A player’s development is not always linear, and Fields is with all the other young quarterbacks in finding his way.

Lee: Right now, his draft class is far from settled in its hierarchy, so that should buy Fields a bit of time before facing real heat for a lack of high-level production. Trevor Lawrence seems to be the runaway leader as a talent, and that comes as no surprise given how unanimous everyone felt about his prospects from the time he was in high school. Trey Lance was a spot starter last season and is missing 2022 with an injury, Mac Jones has been more passable than excellent at this stage, and the Jets are winning without needing much from Zach Wilson. Fields has struggled a decent amount, so I’d have a hard time putting him ahead of Lawrence and Jones, but if he can perform at a level that lands him solidly above Zach Wilson, that’s a short-term success.

Nguyen: It’s hard to say. Josh Allen, who really struggled his first two seasons, is the example you want to look to, but he made unprecedented improvements. For Fields, it would take an incredible turn-around, but I see the talent flash and examples of him learning, so I’m not ready to quit on him yet.

If you’re running the Bears, what would you like to see from Fields the rest of the season?

Kahler: Consistency. He had his best game this season in Week 4 against the Vikings, and then in Week 5, against a better defensive line, he reverted to old habits. I’d like to see him get the ball out faster in order to take fewer sacks. I’m constantly worried about injuries with him because he takes a beating every game. Jahns, you had a great piece earlier this week about how Fields’ time in the pocket compares to other QBs around the league, and how that relates to how often Fields is getting sacked. He’s tied with Carson Wentz as the most sacked quarterback this season, and some of those sacks are on him for not throwing the ball away sooner.

Tice: That he can make the easy ones consistently. Fields has proven he can make the trick shots and can create plays out of nothing. But now it’s continuing to work on his pocket movement, even with the porous offensive line in front of him. Saving himself some hits and just finishing plays with smarter decisions. A throwaway, a checkdown and slide a step earlier. I’m a fan of Fields because he’s willing to continuously be in attack mode, but tempering his own play and making it simple on himself will be the path for him to take a step forward.

Lee: It’s a tall task given the supporting cast, but he has to play out the rest of this season mitigating turnovers and sacks as often as he can. Right now, Chicago has allowed the most sacks and QB pressures by raw total and rate metrics, and we’ve never known a quarterback to spend this much time on his back and develop into a star player. Trying to get the ball out quickly and using his legs when he’s in trouble is a major key for Fields now. If his turnover numbers spike under this amount of duress — especially if it’s a result of poor pocket management or careless throws — there’s no way to avoid the conversation of whether the franchise needs to hit the reset button under center.

Nguyen: I want to see him let it rip even if he throws more interceptions. He needs to learn what kind of throws he can and can’t get away with. The worst thing is if he just continues to take sacks.

If you’re running the Bears, how much time are you committing to evaluating the quarterback class for the 2023 NFL Draft?

Lee: There’s a good chance Chicago ends up at or near the top of this draft, so it’d be malpractice not to give this quarterback class its due diligence — especially with how excellent C.J. Stroud and Bryce Young have looked this season. The dilemma, though, is that there will be so many holes on the roster to address and the potential to open nine figures in cap space, it may be more expedient for Ryan Poles and Matt Eberflus to trade for a surplus in draft capital and try to fill this roster with quality depth before concerning themselves with the leader of the franchise — especially since Fields will still be on a rookie deal for the next few seasons. On the other hand, Fields was not the choice of Chicago’s current brain trust, and we’ve seen countless examples of teams moving on from franchise picks to put their own stamp on the future of the organization, so there are legitimate arguments for any outcome.

Kahler: Teams always have to put in the work like they’re going to take one because the draft is so unpredictable, and the Bears do have a first-round pick in 2023. I don’t think it’s time to move on from Fields, but I do think the team could benefit from developing a quarterback behind him. The Bears haven’t picked a quarterback outside of the first round since David Fales in 2014, whereas in that same timeframe, New England has picked five quarterbacks outside of the first round: Bailey Zappe (2022) Jarrett Stidham (2019) Danny Etling (2018), Jacoby Brissett (2016) and Jimmy Garoppolo (2014). Just a reminder that late-round quarterbacks have real value!

Nguyen: I think three years is fair in this instant results world. In Fields’ case, they need to see what he can do with better talent surrounding him and perhaps an offense that showcases his strengths and hides his weaknesses.

Tice: I would definitely look, as there are some interesting names. But when evaluating this class, which includes another Ohio State quarterback in C.J. Stroud: “Are any of them better than Justin Fields or better than him as a prospect?” That has to be the question I’d ask myself constantly when putting on the tape. And having just recently evaluated the 2023 quarterback class, I will say that it is not as much of a no-brainer as others have made it out to be. Bryce Young is incredibly fun but would be a historical outlier as far as size, and his game has some similarities to Fields’ — albeit in a far different package. Stroud operates the Ohio State offense to perfection but also has some of the same timing issues Fields did as a prospect — namely bouncing one or two too many times in the pocket and having inconsistent timing. But Fields was a bigger and better athlete than Stroud. Will Levis is interesting as well because of his impressive quick release and arm strength and is a tough athlete. But while he has improved and plays in an offense that asks him to make “real” reads, he is still a work in progress who is only three months younger than Fields.

(Top photo: Michael Reaves / Getty Images)