LAKE FOREST -- The Bears' expected transformational offseason began and hinged on one key question: Is Justin Fields a franchise quarterback?
The No. 1 overall pick fell into the Bears' lap during the final week of the regular season. It was a gift that could allow general manager Ryan Poles to either acquire valuable assets to jump-start his rebuild or bring in a different quarterback to build around.
The process included not only an evaluation of the top prospects but also of Fields, his second season, and his ceiling.
Ultimately, none of the draft prospects blew Poles and the Bears away. What Fields did last season behind a leaky offensive line and with one of the worst arsenals in the NFL showed promise and warrants another season.
"The other thing is, as we evaluated Justin from last year I think the growth from where everybodyー including yourselvesー like how the way that you viewed the guy and the way the team viewed the guy to where he was at this time last year, to where he is now, I think he’s just lightyears ahead of where he was, and I feel like he has a ton more to grow going forward," offensive coordinator Luke Getsy said Saturday. "So we’re excited to try to get the best out of him moving forward and keep working toward where we think he can go."
The Bears believe in what Fields can become. With better parts around him and more finetuned mechanics, the Bears' anemic passing attack can have teeth in 2023.
Fields spent the offseason cleaning up his footwork to make him more accurate on the quick-game throws he missed in 2022.
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That work started in the end-of-season evaluation with Getsy and quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko. They reviewed what worked and didn't in 2022 and what he needs to do to improve.
Fields studied film of numerous quarterbacks who play in a similar system to get a feel for how his footwork should look to operate the offense at maximum capacity.
"It starts with our film study," Janocko said Saturday. "We watch a lot of stuff. We watch our stuff, and we evaluate it. We watch guys around the league. We watch a lot of that, so just seeing stuff be successful—similar offenses, different offenses, but seeing them be successful, so we always have an open dialogue on what we’re studying and just looking at different ways to approach things.
"His studies, his studies with guys around the league, I think that that helps. Seeing guys play within this offense, within this footwork, around the league—different guys; this offense is pretty prevalent throughout the league—seeing those guys do it and then just being able to mimic some things, but put your own way, what he does well.”
The Bears could pinpoint clear areas of growth for Fields last season, with the Week 2 and Week 13 games against the Packers serving as markers.
"Our quarterback movement was really good for us. That was productive," Janocko said when asked what Fields did well last season. "You saw his anticipation as he built comfort in the system, his anticipation grow. You’re looking at the second Green Bay game from the first Green Bay game, and you can see some of the things clicking for him and how he felt better with concepts that maybe in the beginning of the year he didn’t.”
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For the Bears, the passing game is predicated on rhythm and timing. That's why Fields' improved mechanics and footwork are so vital. If everything isn't running on the same schedule, the trains don't move.
"You’re just talking purely completions, and you’re talking purely yards, right?" Getsy said when asked how why he thinks Fields will be a better passer in 2023. "So the yards that he ran for, a third of those came off of pass plays where he scrambled that he decided to run. That’s an element that we’re fortunate to have with him in that position. Then it goes to everything, right? Getting the team around him better, and us all being together for another year and the continuity that we have and the communication that he and I have.
"Where we were kinda at the beginning of the season to the end of the season, I think is a lot better, so we’re hoping to build off of all that stuff. So I think any time you can be together with somebody and keep that consistency there’s going to be growth. He has a lot more growth ahead of him and we’re excited to tap into that."
The 2023 campaign will be a make-or-break season for Fields. The Bears have to exit the season with a clear evaluation of who Fields is as a passer and whether or not he's a franchise quarterback. Next offseason, the Bears will have to decide whether or not they will pick up Fields' fifth-year option and if they want to start negotiations on a big-money, long-term extension.
The completions, yards, touchdowns, and efficiency must improve this fall. The decision-making has to be sharper. Fields has to take fewer sacks, hit the layups, and make defenses respect his ability as a passer, especially in winning time.
It's all set up for a critical offseason for the Bears' young quarterback and the passing attack.
“We’ve got to take a step forward," Janocko said. "That has to be a strong point in our game. That has to be a strong point to help this team win games. We’re going to quantify that stuff at some point here, but right now we’re just looking for marked improvement as we build for Phase 2 into the OTAs building blocks in the summer to make that a focal point of this offense.”
The Bears bolstered their protection with the signing of right guard Nate Davis and the selection of first-round right tackle Darnell Wright. Poles added to Fields' arsenal by acquiring an elite wide receiver in DJ Moore and drafting running back Roschon Johnson and speedy wideout Tyler Scott.
The pieces are in place. Now it's up to Fields, Getsy, and Janocko to make them fit together.