Matt Eberflus ticks off the reasons Chicago Bears QB Justin Fields is better: ‘It’s quicker, it’s faster, it’s more precise’

It would be overstating the situation to say the 2023 season will be a defining one for Justin Fields’ career. However, it will no doubt shape the trajectory of the quarterback’s future with the Chicago Bears.

In an offseason of change at Halas Hall in a lot of ways — Kevin Warren now sits at the top as the president and CEO and the roster has undergone significant turnover — what matters around Fields has remained the same.

The playbook and the coaching staff are unchanged, which put him much further ahead when the team wrapped minicamp Thursday and prepared to break for the summer. A year ago at this time, he was still trying to digest his third offense in three seasons dating back to Ohio State.

Two offenses and two coaching staffs in Fields’ first two NFL seasons kept him in a constant cycle of adaptation. Now, there’s a comfort level for him — and the coaches — and it’s growing with teammates, especially the newcomers. All of that has made it easier for Fields to emerge as a real leader, even as he’s preparing for Year 3.

“I just think everybody is buying in, even more than last year,” he said. “Even with all the new guys coming in, they’ve made it easy. They’ve bought into our culture here. Just competing day in and day out and really just having that championship mindset.”

Thursday was a short practice with an emphasis on full squad red zone drills with no pass rush. Fields was sharper and more decisive than he’d been in 7-on-7 periods the previous two days, with a nicely threaded pass to tight end Cole Kmet along the sideline and a hot spiral for a nifty one-handed grab by tight end Robert Tonyan in the back corner of the end zone.

In the break ahead, Fields is headed to France on Friday with Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson and Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love, a couple guys he works with in the offseason, for a getaway and to conduct a youth football camp.

Fields plans to host skill position players in Florida in mid-July to throw with them — a process that will be as much about chemistry on the field as off it. Then it will be time for training camp with the Bears hopeful Fields can make gains as a passer.

The points coach Matt Eberflus hopes Fields can hit on this summer are the same ones the team has really focused on all offseason.

“Just keep increasing the footwork, his platform, the timing, his release, the reads,” Eberflus said. “That’s going to be a little bit hard to do during the summertime because he’s not going to have a full group there, per se.”

Where it heads this season will be fascinating. Like all players on a rookie contract, Fields will be eligible for a new contract after his third season. The Bears will need to make a decision on the fifth-year option (for 2025) in his contract by the 2024 draft.

Without saying it, general manager Ryan Poles devoted much of the offseason to giving Fields, the quarterback he inherited, an opportunity to flourish. Wide receiver DJ Moore was acquired in the trade for the No. 1 pick with the Carolina Panthers. The offensive line has been retooled with the signing of right guard Nate Davis to a $30 million, three-year contract, the selection of right tackle Darnell Wright in the first round and shifting of Cody Whitehair back to center. Tonyan was signed to add depth at tight end. The running back room was overhauled and the Bears used a fourth-round pick on wide receiver Tyler Scott, a speedy deep threat.

The addition of Scott is at least notable because in previous regimes, the Bears might have given Velus Jones Jr., a third-round pick a year ago, a year without legitimate competition to spread his wings. The Bears are challenging Jones and the rest of the receiver room with new faces — and all of it should help Fields.

Fields will not be held back by a subpar group of wide receivers this season. It’s not expected that the offensive line will be porous. It’s not all on Fields to make it happen on offense, not with the players now surrounding him.

There is a great opportunity before Fields, and he’s struck what seems to be a nice balance between confidence and humility this offseason, consistently expressing that he wants to continue pouring himself into his craft.

The next step is training camp, where every read and every throw will surely be overevaluated. The arrival of camp will signal the real deal is not far off. The Bears are eager to see how this unfolds. They’re confident it will be a greatly improved offense.

“Just watching the practice — you guys are out there too — you can see it,” Eberflus said. “It’s quicker, it’s faster, it’s more precise. Again, that comes down to his experience and (Fields’) work ethic. He’s worked really hard at it.”

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