As expected, the Chicago Bears' core decision-making duo of general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus stole the show during the first day of the NFL Combine.

Both Poles and Eberflus addressed the future of the team heading into the busy part of the offseason and even shared their thoughts on the heavily discussed situation involving the team's quarterback position.

Armed with the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the Bears will soon have to decide whether they should keep Justin Fields or replace him with their top quarterback prospect in the draft.

While speaking with the media on Tuesday, Eberflus had a pretty telling statement when asked about what he's looking for in his starting quarterback in 2024.

"The wiring of a quarterback obviously, number one is leadership," Eberflus explained. "You have to be a great leader and you got to be resilient. You got to be able to handle criticism and the physical traits, that's a big part of it. All these teams that do things at the end of the season. They have winners at the quarterback spot."

The team's head coach also added to what he's looking for later and provided a more telling response that could signal the end of Fields' tenure in Chicago.

I look at the guys that can operate the end of the game situations, that to me is what sets the separator," he added. "For a quarterback, really it's about the mental toughness to be able to stand in the pocket and deliver the ball. Then also having the discernment to be able to move out of the pocket and create when it's necessary."

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When you dissect Eberflus' response further, the more you realize what he's describing is the exact opposite of what Fields has shown during his three seasons as the Bears' starting quarterback.

For example, Eberflus noted operating the end of game situations as a big factor in his evaluation of his starting quarterback. Since Fields entered the league in 2021, he has thrown 16 interceptions in the fourth quarter, by far the most in the NFL. 

In fact, Fields' 61.3 passer rating ranks last among the 38 different qualified quarterbacks in the final quarter during that span.

In 2023 alone, Fields had three interceptions on the final drive of the game in the fourth quarter, which was tied with Packers' quarterback Jordan Love for the most in the entire league. Never in Fields' career has he shown any sort of confidence in those type of situations Eberflus specifically mentioned.

Eberflus also mentioned an attribute he likes in his quarterbacks is being able to show mental toughness in the pocket. That's another area that Fields has been well documented as being poor in. Fields is an incredible athlete who can use his legs to escape the pocket and make a play, but in terms of staying in the pocket and making a driving the ball to make the play, he's rarely be able to show that under pressure.

Fields has been sacked 135 times in his career, which is two more than the next closest quarterback since he was drafted by the Bears in the first round. It's pretty telling that Eberflus noted those aspects of the game as ideal expectations for what his quarterback should be able to do.

Will the Bears actually move on from Justin Fields?

If the Bears were to move on from Fields, the decision should be made in the coming days. The Combine is a great opportunity to mix and mingle with fellow team executives and begin the foundation of a potential trade offer.

While speaking with the media, Poles noted that he would prefer to have the decision come to fruition sooner than later for the benefit of all parties involved. 

"I would love to know as soon as possible, but I know that's not how the process works," Poles said. "Sure, before agency would be good if we were to do something with Justin [Fields]. I want to do right by him, living in that gray space,  you would want to do something sooner rather than later."

"I know that's uncomfortable [for Fields]," he added. "I wouldn't want to be in that situation either. So, we'll gather the information and we'll move as quickly as possible. But, we're not going to be in a rush. We'll see what presents itself and what's best for the organization."

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If the Bears were to move on from Fields in the coming days, all eyes will then turn to the first overall pick in the draft to determine who will be under center in Chicago going forward. While the early indications point toward USC quarterback Caleb Williams being the top pick, Poles noted that he plans to conduct a full evaluation.

"I think that's what makes our situation unique and why we have to really do a deep dive into it," he said. "I think the person is a huge part. I've talked about that a lot. What's the makeup, the leadership? How do they handle pressure? How do they handle pressure in a big city like ours? So a lot of those factors going on."

There's still a lot of uncertainty regarding the Bears' big decision but it seems like some sort of resolve will be taking place before we know it.

Ryan Poles tells reporters what he wants if he decides to trade the Bears’ No. 1 overall pick in the draft

It makes sense, too.