What the Chicago Bears are expecting to see from Justin Fields

Chicago Bears starting quarterback Justin Fields will be making his return from injury for the team when they play the Detroit Lions on Sunday afternoon.

Fields has missed the past four games while recovering from a dislocated right thumb injury and with his return comes the speculation regarding what the Bears will do at the quarterback position after the season.

The Bears hold two first-round picks in the 2024 NFL Draft and by virtue of the Carolina Panther’s first-round pick that they have the rights to, the expectation is that the Bears will select a quarterback if they indeed have the top selection.

It would seem that the Bears’ front office is approaching the 2024 draft with the same mindset that they have during the 2023 NFL Draft, they would need to be blown away by one of the quarterback prospects in order to move on from Fields.

"Sources say it’s the same view heading into the 2024 draft. The Bears would need to be blown away by a rookie QB to move on from Fields three years after selecting him No. 11 overall in the 2021 draft.-Ian Rapoport via NFL Network"

The 2024 NFL Draft is littered with quarterback prospects with USC’s Caleb Williams and North Carolina’s Drake Maye at the top of the class. It would seem that if the Bears are in a position to draft either Williams or Maye, then chances they will be blown away by one of them and will move on from Fields.

In terms of what the Bears would need to see from Fields to commit to him beyond this season, it is a lot of the same areas of progress that fans were hoping to see at the start of the season.

"Sources offered insight into the decision, noting that this year’s roster is stronger and more developed than last year’s. In other words, it presents the opportunity for a much fairer evaluation of Fields.Here’s what the organization wants to see: Is this a QB who can win multiple championships? Can he be consistent enough, especially in key moments like red-zone and two-minute offense? Can he execute with the game on the line? Can he avoid turning the ball over and keep drives going?-Ian Rapoport via NFL Network"

To this point, the answer to all those questions would be no. Fields has struggled to close out games throughout his career including two interceptions this season alone in games against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Denver Broncos when he had the opportunity to lead the Bears on a game-winning drive.

Consistency will be the key for Fields during these final seven games of the 2023-2024 NFL season. The times that Fields has consistently hit his marks as a passing quarterback in the NFL have been few and far between and that will be why the Bears will have a new starting quarterback next season.