As Justin Fields returns, Bears look to evaluate QB position

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — At 3-7, many of the goals the Chicago Bears had entering the season are gone, but one key objective remains: determine if Justin Fields is their quarterback of the future.

But is there enough time left in the season to make that evaluation?

Entering the season, Fields seemed in a good spot to solidify his role as the franchise quarterback. He had established himself as one of the best rushing QBs in the NFL (1,143 rushing yards), falling 62 yards short of Lamar Jackson’s single-season record. And with the trade acquisition of DJ Moore, Fields finally had a legit No. 1 wide receiver to help him further develop as a passer.

Fields had his moments in the first six games, but a dislocated thumb on his right throwing hand sidelined him the past four games. Undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent replaced him and went 2-2, although those two wins weren’t the result of dominant quarterback play.

What makes the evaluation of Fields especially important is the Bears could end up with the No. 1 overall draft pick for the second year in a row, and there are two quarterback prospects — USC’s Caleb Williams and North Carolina’s Drake Maye — who could be generational talents. The Bears traded the top pick last year to Carolina for a package that featured Moore. And the MVP-caliber play of C.J. Stroud — who was picked second by the Houston Texans — has some wondering if that trade was the right move.

“I think seven weeks is enough time to show consistency and for him to be the high performer that we expect him to be,” Bears coach Matt Eberflus said. “I know he’s had some good performances this year, certainly the last few have been solid.”

Fields will return to action against Detroit on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, Fox). This has been the longest stretch of games Fields says he has missed since he broke the index and middle fingers on his right hand in high school. Shaking off the rust in his first game since Oct. 15 might take some time, but the Bears hope to quickly see the version of Fields that showed up in a 40-20 win over Washington (282 yards passing and 4 TDs).

Fields’ return coincides with the Bears’ offensive line being its healthiest since the preseason with the return of right guard Nate Davis (and subsequent move of Teven Jenkins back to left guard). Chicago’s backfield will see the return of Khalil Herbert, who will come off injured reserve to pair with D’Onta Foreman. All those things put Fields in position to succeed over seven games that might determine his future with the Bears, who currently hold two top-5 draft picks in 2024, including Carolina’s.

Here’s a look at what Chicago learned about its quarterback situation in his absence and what the future holds for the former first-round pick.

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How does the offense change with Fields back at QB?

Fields used his time on the sideline to learn from the things Bagent did well in games.

“Tyson, quarterbacks around the league, quarterbacks in college, we all play the game differently, so things that Tyson did well, I’m definitely going to try to emulate that of course in my game,” Fields said.

Fields said there was “real consideration” to him playing against the Panthers in Week 10. Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy said the team wasn’t designing two vastly different game plans depending on which Bears QB would start, because many of the concepts will remain the same when Fields returns. But several areas — his experience, running ability and arm strength — will allow the Bears to expand their playcalls.

“You have some different options there, different movement passes that you might run that you wouldn’t run with a different quarterback in there,” Eberflus said. “Certainly opens up your package a bit.”

This season, Fields has completed 100 of 162 passes for 1,201 yards, 11 touchdowns and six interceptions. He has improved as a passer (91.6 passer rating, 14th in the NFL) from his 15 starts last season (85.2, 25th). He’s being relied on less to run this season, but he might choose to tap into his scrambling ability against a Lions defense that struggled to contain another running threat at QB — Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson — in Week 7.

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What did Chicago learn about Bagent?

The rookie was credited with wins over the Las Vegas Raiders and Carolina Panthers, and the Bears lost his starts against the Los Angeles Chargers and New Orleans Saints. Bagent threw for 859 yards (65.7% completion percentage), three touchdowns, six interceptions and ran in two TDs.

Bagent’s performance on the road against the Saints — which started with a nine-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to open the game — stands out most to coaches. The rookie found tight end Cole Kmet matched up with Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu for an 18-yard touchdown, one of Bagent’s best throws as a starter.

“That’s what you look for in the NFL,” quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko said. “Can you get one-on-one matchups and put it where our guy can make a play. I thought it was really intelligently aggressive and a play that he trusts in his guy to go make, and he did.”

In four starts, Bagent showed he could make quick, decisive throws, play in difficult environments and bounce back from poor performances. After he turned the ball over four times against New Orleans, ball security was not an issue for Bagent in a 16-13 win versus the Panthers.

The Bears feel good about where things stand with Bagent. He has proved to be a viable No. 2 QB who can do more whenever his role is expanded.

“We never put a ceiling on players, but we certainly like where his floor is because the sky’s the limit for everybody,” Eberflus said. “Guys can grow into certain spaces that they didn’t even think they could. So you have to give them that opportunity, but we certainly like where he is right now.”

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Where can Fields show the most improvement?

Fields averaged four sacks per game in Weeks 1 through 6. His 24 sacks have him tied for the sixth most with the Baltimore Ravens’ Jackson, who has played in four more games, and the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence, who has played in three more. And Fields’ 12.9% sack percentage ranks second behind that of the New York Giants’ Daniel Jones.

Last August, Chicago general manager Ryan Poles said he wanted to see Fields’ sack numbers come down in the quarterback’s third season. Not all sacks are viewed the same by the Bears’ coaching staff, but avoiding the unnecessary ones is a goal.

“That’s something we’ve talked about,” Getsy said. “You have a guy who creates a lot of plays with his feet, so you’re going to get those zero-yard sacks sometimes. You can’t make a big deal too much about that when the next one’s a 15-, 20-yard gain for the same type of situation.

“The thing that Tyson’s doing really is those moments where he feels like he has to get the ball out or there’s an issue that he’s feeling, he’s doing a really nice job of avoiding [sacks].”

Fields has avoided sacks late in games (only three of his 24 have come in the fourth quarter), but his efficiency at the end of halves needs to improve. Trailing 20-17 in the final minutes at Tampa Bay, Fields threw a pick-six to seal the game (although Bucs defenders said they knew a screen was coming because Chicago had run variations of the same play twice before Fields’ interception). Against Denver, Fields was strip-sacked early in the fourth quarter, which led to a Broncos defensive touchdown. He threw an interception on Chicago’s final play, which halted any comeback.

In the final two minutes of either half this season, Fields has an 18.7 QBR, which is last among 32 qualified quarterbacks, and he has thrown one touchdown and four interceptions. Improving his efficiency in critical situations will be a focal point for the Bears QB, starting with Detroit.