Chicago Bears: Statement from Matt Eberflus isn't fair to Justin Fields
Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus, who is entering his first season leading the franchise, made it clear this week at the NFL owners meetings that he's expecting quarterback Justin Fields to make a big leap in his second season in the league. "The development of him for the second year should be a big […]
Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus, who is entering his first season leading the franchise, made it clear this week at the NFL owners meetings that he's expecting quarterback Justin Fields to make a big leap in his second season in the league.
"The development of him for the second year should be a big jump,” said Eberflus (via The Athletic). “It should be. That’s what we’re looking for. We’re looking for better technique, better fundamentals, better decision-making, better timing, everything. He’s all on board on that. He’s excited about where he is, and he’s been working his tail off. That’s what we want, just that big jump from Year 1 to Year 2.”
On the surface, this seems like some harmless coachspeak from Eberflus. And maybe it is. But I don't think that statement is fair to Fields.
Chicago wants to see Fields take a big leap in 2022, but they haven't given Fields much to work with this offseason.
Yes, the Bears are in the middle of a rebuild and they're not looking to compete for a championship in 2022. I get it.
But how is Fields supposed to take a big step forward if he doesn't get more help?
The Bears need another established wide receiver to play alongside Darnell Mooney (Byron Pringle and Equanimeous St. Brown are nice depth options, but the Bears need a true No. 2 for Fields).
Chicago could also use more offensive line help (adding Lucas Patrick was a great move, but the Bears still need to improve their offensive line depth — especially after missing out on offensive lineman Ryan Bates).
Otherwise, we're going to see a lot more of Fields doing this:
That's obviously a great tool for Fields to have, but having to constantly use that tool isn't sustainable in the NFL. The Bears definitely need to utilize Fields' athleticism, but they also need to keep him from getting hit as much as possible.
I understand that Eberflus is going to have high expectations for Fields and other key players. And that's what the way it should be. But Fields isn't a miracle worker, either. It's going to be tough for him to improve in 2022 if he's not set up for success.
And so far, the Bears haven't set him up to be successful in 2022.
Featured image via Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
