Is Justin Fields entering his final stretch of games with the Chicago Bears?

Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus did not provide any injury updates on Monday as the team reconvened at Halas Hall on Monday after defeating the Carolina Panthers last Thursday.

Of course, the attention is on quarterback Justin Fields as the expectation is that he will return to being the Bears’ starting quarterback on Sunday for the first time in a month.

Fields has been recovering from a dislocated right thumb and much like what the clips that were posted last week, the third-year quarterback looks like he is ready for a return.

There was some surprise that rookie Tyson Bagent started for the Bears last Thursday when it had seemed that Fields would be ready for the game. If Fields does not make the start against the Detroit Lions on Sunday, there would then be a need to ask more targeted questions about how the Bears have handled this injury.

Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions could be the beginning of the end for Justin Fields’ career with the Chicago Bears.

For now, let’s move forward with the expectation that Fields will be under center on Sunday.

Sunday’s game against the Lions is the first of the remaining seven games on the Bears’ schedule and the final opportunity for Fields to change the course of his future with the team. What is fascinating about that statement is before the injury, Fields appeared to be taking a step forward regarding proving he could be the answer for the Bears at the quarterback position.

Before the injury, Fields was on pace for 37 passing touchdowns and 3,886 passing yards. The problem with that projection was that it was based on two performances against the Denver Broncos and Washington Commanders and not the full-scale of the season.

Much like the course of Fields’ career with the Bears, the positive performances are proving to be the exception and not the expectation.

The question becomes can Fields show something in these final seven games of the 2023-2024 season that he hasn’t shown consistently over the past 33 games? The answer to that question is no. The fact that we even have to ask the question is an answer in itself.

The best outcome for the Bears over these final seven games is that Fields returns and plays well enough to the point where teams will be lining up to trade for him in the off-season. The outcome would allow Fields a clean break from the organization that derailed his development while also giving the Bears’ front office a chance to pick their quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft.