Chicago Bears: Eberflus Latest To Express Confidence In Fields

While people speculated all offseason that the Chicago Bears would part ways with quarterback Justin Fields, the front office and the coaches, like Matt Eberflus, continue to show their faith in him.

Entering the new NFL year, many people felt that this would be one of the most impactful offseasons for the Chicago Bears. Despite finishing 3-14 in 2022, things are looking up.

Yes, the team was bad last season. However, there were games that were close that should never have been. They were involved in 8 one-score games and a couple more that were a little more but some that they were actually winning before collapsing.

That happened without having much talent on the roster. General manager Ryan Poles had to tear down the roster so he could build it back up. With almost $100 million in salary cap space and the top overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, he got the team in a position to make an impact.

So far, Poles is doing just that. He signed a number of quality players that, on paper at least, likely make this a much better team than last season’s version. He also traded the top pick and added not only future draft picks but also wide receiver D.J. Moore.

That last bit was very interesting. Apparently, the Carolina Panthers, who made the deal, wanted to give Poles another high draft pick instead of Moore. Poles insisted on acquiring Moore, however.

Poles wanted to give quarterback Justin Fields a quality wide receiver. Apparently, he felt that the free agent wide receivers available were not good enough. He held out until the Panthers gave in.

The Bears are all in on Fields

The fact that Poles held out until he got a quality target for Fields was a big thing. Practically from the moment the clock struck zero on the final game of the season, speculation ran rampant that the Bears could part ways with Fields.

The thinking was that since the rebuild was beginning in earnest this offseason that it would be proper to start another quarterback on a new rookie deal. Additionally, some felt that C.J. Stroud or Bryce Young could be better than Fields.

The Bears’ higher-ups felt differently, though. Poles mentioned in his end-of-season press conference that it would take an incredible offer for him to even consider trading him.

Later, offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, the man who will be working the most with Fields, also expressed his faith in Fields. During the Senior Bowl practices, reporters asked him about Fields. He said he was proud of the improvements he made in 2022. He also said he was looking forward to seeing him grow even more moving forward.

That didn’t sound like someone who felt Fields was on his way out.

Eberflus is the latest to show confidence in Fields

Now, head coach Matt Eberflus is the latest to show how invested the coaches and front office really are in Fields. He recently spoke on how much Fields grew in 2022 and how Eberflus had a front-row seat.

I was with him the whole year. I was in all the quarterback meetings. And I really spent the first year building that relationship with him as a head coach and quarterback. He just showed me grit and, toughness, work ethic, his teammates love him. All the things that come with that position, he exuded those traits for sure.

Despite all the evidence to the contrary, there are still those who insist that Fields’ days are still numbered. The Bears have two first-round picks in 2024 so many want to speculate that Fields could be gone next offseason.

Let’s talk about what facts we have now. Fields’ teammates love him, the coaches love him, and the general manager loves him. Something drastic has to happen for him not to be in the Chicago Bears’ future.

The fact that Poles traded away the number one pick and did it so early shows how much the team is behind him. Now it’s a matter of surrounding more talent around him. Adding Moore and tight-end Robert Tonyan gives him more quality targets. There is even talk that he may select Fields’ former teammate at Ohio State, Jaxon Smith-Njigba to reunite the two.

In addition, adding Nate Davis improves the offensive line a little bit. Poles likely goes after another quality lineman in the draft.

Furthermore, Poles added to the running backs unit to make up for the loss of David Montgomery. D’Onta Foreman will mix well with Khalil Herbert, and Travis Homer not only helps on special teams but also takes on the role Tarik Cohen played so well when he was in Chicago.

Fields is the new regime’s man despite them not drafting him. Fields showed promise even though he didn’t have much talent surrounding him. Now Poles is giving him what he needs to succeed and the coaches are excited to teach him. It’s up to Fields to show that the confidence in him is well deserved.