The Chicago Bears’ offseason continues as the team is readying for the 2022 NFL Draft on April 28th. The main goal for new general manager Ryan Poles is to improve the supporting cast on offense around second-year quarterback Justin Fields. There are high expectations that Fields will take a massive jump in performance, but expectations should be tempered, given what was seen in 2021.

Fields’ Play Was Sporadic Throughout His Rookie Season

When the 2021 Bears’ season started, Bears fans and NFL analysts were upset with former general manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy wanting Fields to develop from the bench while choosing to start quarterback Andy Dalton. Many believed that the rookie was the best option at quarterback and believed that he would be successful immediately. Fields would become the Bears’ starting quarterback in Week 3 against the Cleveland Brown and struggled in a 26-6 loss, which saw him get sacked nine times.

Justin Fields

Passing yards: 58
Yards lost on 8 sacks: 53

— Mike Clay (@MikeClayNFL) September 26, 2021

Although Nagy’s play-calling and inability to protect Fields was the reason for the offensive struggles against the Browns, there was no noticeable improvement from Fields as the weeks went on. Although the rookie completed several deep ball throws against the Detroit Lions in Week 4 and led the offense on consecutive touchdown drives, he struggled consistently to lead the offense on multiple sustained drives in the following weeks. In three straight games against the Raiders, Packers, and Buccaneers, Fields and the Bears’ offense had more possessions that ended in turnovers or punts than scores.

It wouldn’t be until Week 8 against the San Francisco 49ers when Fields would lead the Bears’ offense on consecutive scoring drives. In the rookie’s ten starts for Chicago in 2021, he only had three games in which the offense scored on back-to-back drives. Although there were moments where Fields displayed elite-level talent at the quarterback position, the performance wasn’t consistent and sometimes was overshadowed by repetitive mistakes.

Fields would either throw an interception or fumble the ball in nine of his ten starts, including a five turnover game against the Buccaneers, who had the worst passing defense heading into the Week 7 matchup. The biggest issue was the rookie quarterback’s inability to improve his pocket presence on a week-to-week basis as he lost fumbles on sack-strips in his final three starts of the season.

It’s one thing to take a sack, and Justin Fields takes too many. But far too often he turns a negative play into a massive negative with either a fumble or an unnecessarily huge loss. Gotta clean it up.

— Danny Parkins (@DannyParkins) December 21, 2021

One of Fields’ biggest strengths coming out of college was his deep-ball accuracy, but there were moments where he struggled connecting with his receivers on deep passes. From Week 5 to Week 8, the Bears’ rookie quarterback did not complete a throw of 25 yards or longer to his receivers but was intercepted twice on throws of that distance.

Fields Has A Chance To Improve In 2022, But A Massive Jump Should Not Be Expected

This season, new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy will be responsible for developing an offensive scheme that highlights Fields’ strengths. Last season as head coach, Nagy failed to not only develop the rookie quarterback but also didn’t develop an offensive game plan to take advantage of his quarterback’s strengths. There will be some improvement automatically seen from Fields in 2022 as he will be in an offensive system that will be better suited for him.

Despite the change in the offensive scheme, Fields still will need to make improvements of his own. Chicago’s quarterback will need to have better pocket presence, including stepping up in the pocket when pressure closes in and shorting his throwing motion, as several of his lost fumbles came as he was throwing. Fields’ mobility is one of his biggest strengths, and stepping up in the pocket to evade pressure will enable him to run if receivers are not open downfield.

Former NFL QB Boomer Esiason said on @ParkinsSpiegel that the Chicago Bears "are hamstrung by Justin Fields' inexperience" and that "he can't see a blitz from a mile away."

Esiason: "I'm just telling you right now he is not ready to play. He is not ready to handle it."

— Daniel Greenberg (@ChiSportUpdates) October 26, 2021

Another weakness Fields has to improve on heading into 2022 is his ability to read opposing defenses. One of the main reasons why Chicago’s offense failed to have multiple sustained drives was because their young quarterback appeared hesitant on some passing plays. Fields appeared to be unsure of what he was seeing from the opposing defense, especially on mid-range throws.

Justin Fields points out that a defensive-minded head coach can help explain coverages and he's excited that new OC Luke Getsy will be fully invested in the offense without other responsibilities. #Bears

— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) January 31, 2022

Poles will be responsible for addressing the needs at the Bears’ wide receiver and offensive line positions to give Fields the best chance to succeed. The second-year quarterback will have a supporting cast on offense to assist him in his growth as running back David Montgomery, wide receiver Darnell Mooney, and tight end Cole Kmet will all contribute significantly to the passing attack for Chicago in 2022. Fields will also benefit from whichever wide receiver Poles select with one or both of Chicago’s second-round selections in this year’s NFL Draft.

Although Fields has shown glimpses of being deserving of being the 11th overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft, there have been moments in which wondering if he should have been learning from the bench and not starting were valid. Although Nagy deserves partial responsibility for his rookie quarterback’s struggles last season, the quarterback also deserves to accept responsibility for the shortcomings.

Fans and analysts should be excited about what Fields could potentially do in 2022, but minimal expectations should not be for a breakout season. With learning a second offensive playbook in as many years, Chicago’s starting quarterback should focus first on cleaning up the mistakes that consistently weighed him down last season. Bears fans should hope to see Fields clean up his mistakes before expecting him in the Pro Bowl or any MVP discussions.