The talk this offseason surrounding the Chicago Bears has been with quarterback Justin Fields.
The former Ohio State standout was selected No. 11 overall in the 2021 NFL draft but had a rocky rookie season in the league. Fields was named the backup to Andy Dalton and barely received any reps with the first team in the offseason. It was an injury to Dalton that forced Fields into early playing time otherwise we likely wouldn’t have seen him until very late in the year.
While there has been some criticism for new general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus for the lack of weapons Fields has in the offense, the quarterback says he feels a lot more comfortable going into this season due to knowing he will be the guy.
Here is what he told Scott Polacek of Bleacher Report in an exclusive interview:
“I’m more comfortable this year,” he said. “I kind of know what’s coming and know what to expect. … Me not knowing if I’m going to be the leader of the team or not last year compared to this year means a whole different mindset. Just comfortability and knowing that I’m going to be the guy and that this is my team is definitely a different mindset as I try to be a leader for everybody on the team.”
It was clear that Fields’ confidence was shot at times last season, specifically in the Week 3 loss to the Cleveland Browns where he and the offense couldn’t muster anything. Fields was reportedly even pissed off about that game plan that Matt Nagy had for him.
But this offseason, Fields does look more confident out there and with training camp looming in July we will get to see just how comfortable he is.
If Fields does take that step forward, that would be good news for the Bears as they continue to search for their franchsie quarterback.
Make sure to check out our Bears forum for the latest on the team.
