Justin Fields isn’t the only young Bears offensive player with something to prove, though. Here’s a look at players — all age 24 or under — that the Bears need to develop over the rest of the season. The franchise’s future is at stake:
The Bears’ upset of the 49ers in Week 1 caused some to think of this season in terms of wins and losses instead of what truly matters.
No, the purpose of this season is to identify who will be part of the Bears’ next good team — and that won’t be this year. It matters most on offense, where quarterback Justin Fields is being monitored with every pass.
However, Fields isn’t the only young offensive player with something to prove. Here’s a look at the talents — all 24 or under — whom the Bears need to develop over the rest of the season. The franchise’s future is at stake.
After his first preseason game as a rookie last year, Fields, the former Ohio State standout, pushed back against the notion that he had to adjust to NFL speed. Compared to Bears practices, he said, a game was nothing different.
“It was actually kind of slow to me,” he said.
It hasn’t looked that way. Since the start of last season, 34 quarterbacks have thrown at least 200 passes. Among them, Fields is No. 32 in passer rating, No. 33 in completion percentage and No. 31 in passing yards and attempts. He has been sacked on 12.09% of his dropbacks, the highest rate in the NFL.
The good news: Field is young. Injuries, illness and coaching malpractice by Matt Nagy limited Fields to 10 starts last season. He has 12 under his belt now— the same number Mitch Trubisky did in his first season in 2017.
The bad news: Time is running out. There’s time for Fields to prove himself, but probably not more than another 15 games. At the end of the year, the Bears will have to decide whether to use their first-round draft pick — and it figures to be a high one if they struggle as expected — on a quarterback.
Fields’ athleticism allows him to make jaw-dropping plays. Now he needs to make the basic ones. His passes need to come out of his hand on time and with conviction.
Despite throwing just 11 times against the Packers last Sunday, Fields said he still thinks the Bears believe in him. But when he detailed what goes into a successful play, it was clear he needs help from the Bears’ other young offensive players.
“The passing game, you’re going to need a few things for everything to go right,” he said. “First, you’re going to need protection, and then, second, you’re going to need, from me, is timing, footwork, making sure I’m on schedule. Accurate and making sure I’m getting the ball out of my hand.”
For a tight end expected to be the Bears’ second-most reliable receiver, it’s hard to decide which is most damning: Kmet having two targets this season, him dropping one of them, or him having as many receiving yards as a lump of coal.
