The Chicago Bears have one sport left — a enjoyable finale Sunday in Green Bay — with an opportunity to punctuate their late-season surge whereas eliminating the rival Packers from playoff competition. Inside Halas Hall, the main focus stays centered on that sport with gamers and coaches embracing their alternative to complete sturdy.
The NFL world, nevertheless, teems with curiosity about how the Bears will navigate a doubtlessly landmark 2024 offseason with so many high-profile and high-stakes choices forward. With a quickly bettering protection, some reputable firepower on offense and, sure, the No. 1 draft choose, some see this as the final word “Choose Your Own Adventure” for common supervisor Ryan Poles and President/CEO Kevin Warren.
“Absolutely fascinating,” one league GM mentioned. “Whatever path they choose to go down, they have options. And really, there’s not a bad option. They’re in a really good spot.”
Will quarterback Justin Fields nonetheless have a locker stall at Halas Hall when organized workforce actions start in May? Or will the Bears decide to reboot with a brand new quarterback they draft in April?
How will the Bears decide the way forward for coach Matt Eberflus? And what in regards to the present state of the roster and alternatives to improve by free company, the draft and, fairly probably, one other headline-grabbing commerce or two?
Over the previous three weeks, the Tribune spoke with greater than a dozen sources to get a really feel for the place the Bears could also be leaning and to higher perceive every part they need to contemplate at this pivot level in workforce historical past.
In a two-part summation of all we realized, we begin with 15 issues to ponder in regards to the quarterback conundrum.
On Friday we are going to look by a wider lens with evaluation of Eberflus’ future and perception on the present roster’s constructing blocks.
1. The Bears already know quite a bit about Justin Fields that may make it troublesome to reboot at quarterback.
Start with Fields’ playmaking magic as a scrambler, the latest proof his ridiculous third-and-8, 13-yard magic act in Sunday’s win over the Atlanta Falcons.
“I really believe he’s the only guy who can do that in this league,” tight finish Cole Kmet mentioned. “That’s what is so captivating about him.”
That’s only one drop from the gushing fountain of reward Fields has obtained from teammates this season. That help is to not be taken with no consideration.
Also, the Bears can’t look previous Fields’ arm expertise, high-level athleticism or love for the sport.
Perhaps most spectacular, Fields has proven elite psychological toughness over three seasons in Chicago with a uncommon capacity to trip the NFL’s QB1 curler coaster with grace and equanimity.
“All that stuff counts,” one former AFC govt mentioned. “It’s definitely part of their evaluation.”
Fields has dealt with his highest highs with perspective. He has reset rapidly after his worst performances. He has withstood the big-city highlight with maturity and been unfazed by the nonstop debates about his play and potential — each in Chicago and on a nationwide degree.
Fields’ explosive velocity, sturdy arm and deep-ball capacity could make for a mesmerizing fireworks present. For Poles and his workers, their remaining resolution on Fields’ future would require deep evaluation and contemplation.
Others in league circles are gazing Chicago with nice curiosity.
“It’s rare,” the previous AFC govt mentioned, “for a team to have a quarterback who shows signs that he can play like Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson yet still be considering moving on from him because you have the opportunity to. Most teams who have a quarterback with those kinds of flashes don’t have the No. 1 pick. So this is as rare as it gets for Chicago.”
2. One of the strongest arguments for staying the course with Fields facilities across the Bears’ capacity to public sale the No. 1 choose.
After turning final 12 months’s No. 1 choose into an absolute haul — extensive receiver DJ Moore, proper sort out Darnell Wright, cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, this 12 months’s prime choose and a 2025 second-rounder — Poles could be tempted to promote once more with a chance to considerably increase the beginning bid.
“You’re going to get all those extra picks,” one present GM mentioned. “Without question, you have to give that serious consideration. Someone is going to want that first pick bad.”
Such a call, although, must begin with full conviction that Fields is a no-doubt franchise quarterback price constructing round past 2024.
“It has to start there,” the GM mentioned. “Your start line is evaluating Justin to what’s popping out (within the draft). It’s a really direct query: Is anybody on this class that a lot better than him? That’s the dialogue.
“Now, should you decide that one in every of these quarterbacks (within the draft) is a franchise quarterback coming in on a rookie contract, you’re most likely going to select that quarterback. But if there’s some doubt? And should you suppose — figuring out Justin now in addition to they do — that he’s your franchise man, you then seize all these picks and hold constructing.
“It may be a tough decision. But it’s a really good situation to be in.”
3. One of Fields’ most vital leaps in 2023 has been his manufacturing as an extended-play passer.
His landing cross to tight finish Marcedes Lewis in Week 16 in opposition to the Arizona Cardinals was a chief instance, showcasing his heightened understanding of the way to bait defenders together with his scrambling capacity after which crush them with a big-play cross.
There had been further examples Sunday as Fields threw for 268 yards in opposition to the Falcons. Eberflus continues to be happy with that development.
“You’re starting to see him work out of the pocket and look downfield and make some big strikes,” Eberflus mentioned. “The last couple weeks are a great example of that. That’s how you gut a defense.”
From early within the spring by coaching camp and into the season, the Bears have inspired Fields to discover a wholesome stability between maximizing his tuck-and-run possibilities and discovering extra scramble-and-throw alternatives.
“First and foremost, that makes him more dangerous,” quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko mentioned. “We all know what he can do with his legs. Now he can also do it with his arm. So (if a defense is) worrying about him running, now he can pull up and make that throw into a one-on-one matchup where he gives his guy a chance.”
From Day 1, Fields has been receptive to these teaching factors and intent on bettering that facet of his sport.
“Anytime we talk to him about something, I try to show him evidence and (explain) the why,” Janocko mentioned. “(Offensive coordinator) Luke (Getsy) is identical method. He confirmed Justin the explosives you possibly can create. We all checked out explosives across the league. If you watch each huge play across the league in a given week, they’re slants, they’re go routes and so they’re damaged performs. That’s just about every part.
“So how can we be more explosive? That’s one of the ways, and he definitely bought into that.”
4. The Bears additionally know firsthand about Fields’ limitations that would inhibit his profession rise over the remainder of the last decade.
Many of these weaknesses are mentioned overtly inside league circles. Fields is seen as overly hesitant on throws throughout the center and affected by what one league supply labeled “delayed vision” — not getting his eyes to open targets with correct timing and rhythm and as an alternative permitting defensive backs added time to react.
Fields has proven enchancment together with his total pocket really feel this season however solely to a run-of-the-mill degree.
One supply who has studied Fields’ sport extensively stays bothered by the quarterback’s “lack of feel” and incapacity to persistently manipulate defenses on the finish of Season 3.
Even since Fields returned from his thumb damage in November, the supply mentioned he has seen too many moments when Fields isn’t throwing into “open-enough” home windows, which in flip is impeding the progress of the Bears offense.
“You sit there and watch it,” the supply mentioned, “and also you ask your self, ‘Why in the world is he not making these throws?’ Is it, a, he’s nonetheless restricted processing? Or is it, b, he’s scared to throw an interception?
“I’d rather see him take more chances and watch his interception total go up — and play the game like Josh Allen — than see this. He seems so gun-shy to throw the ball into any traffic.”
5. A former AFC govt mentioned Fields’ flashes of playmaking brilliance are intoxicating.
“The highlights are hard to get out of your head,” he mentioned. “And I have absolutely no attachment to the situation. I can’t imagine how that feels on the inside.”
The identical supply additionally expressed concern over Fields’ subpar passing manufacturing throughout 37 begins, with a mean of 15.1 completions and 174.5 yards.
“The volume of completions and passing yards just isn’t matching up with the top offenses in the league,” he mentioned. “You don’t ignore that.”
The San Francisco 49ers lead the NFL in yards per passing play (9.05), whereas the Baltimore Ravens are third (7.55) and the Buffalo Bills sixth (7.04). The Bears lag at twenty fifth (5.99).
“You see what I’m saying?” the previous exec mentioned. “Justin isn’t Josh Allen. He’s not Lamar Jackson. Yes, he has similar traits and similarities with his size and playmaking ability. But the down-in, down-out production, the game-in, game-out performances are not that.”
One league supply whose workforce actively scouted quarterbacks throughout the 2021 draft course of indicated there have been warnings that spring that Fields must be rewired for the NFL after enjoying 22 video games at Ohio State with an otherworldly supporting solid.
Fields made his remaining begin for the Buckeyes — within the nationwide championship sport in January 2021 — behind 4 offensive linemen who’ve been drafted plus a fifth, Matthew Jones, who’s a two-time All-Big Ten choice with an opportunity to be picked this spring.
Fields’ working again was Trey Sermon, a 2021 third-round choose by the 49ers. His tight finish, Luke Farrell, was drafted in Round 5 that 12 months. Oh, and the beginning extensive receivers? Three top-12 picks in Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave and Jameson Williams, with one other future first-rounder, rising star Jaxon Smith-Njigba, as a reserve.
“You don’t have to throw into tight windows or play with elite anticipation when you’re with that crew,” the supply mentioned.
The interpretation: Fields’ rewiring course of nonetheless is going on. But he additionally reveals flaws — holding the ball too lengthy, not seeing issues fast sufficient, feeling hesitant in opposition to zone protection, seeming antsy within the pocket — that had been identified deficiencies when he entered the league.
6. One longtime personnel man rated 5 key attributes for NFL quarterbacks on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 an important.
He stamped off-script playmaking a 7, processing capacity an 8.5 and pocket presence a 9.
“This league makes you make critical plays from the pocket,” the exec mentioned. “And they’re going to force you to. Yes, you can do all sorts of other things. But there are some critical moments where (defenses) are going to say, ‘No, no, no, you are not leaving the pocket.’ And if you’re not a guy who can make enough plays from the pocket to keep them honest, you’re in trouble.”
The two 10s on his checklist? Thick pores and skin — which he indicated ought to maintain a 10-plus worth for beginning quarterbacks — and clutch manufacturing late in video games.
“That’s where you win your championships,” he mentioned. “You can get your workforce into the playoffs and never be a ten there. We’ve seen loads of quarterbacks try this.
“But without that? You’re never going to hoist the Lombardi (Trophy). You’re not going to go through the gauntlet of playoffs if you don’t have that.”
About that …
7. Fields’ spotty observe document within the fourth quarter isn’t a secret.
In three seasons and 37 begins, he has 19 fourth-quarter turnovers. His fourth-quarter passer ranking is 61.0, together with a career-low 52.0 mark this season.
In the ultimate eight minutes of video games through which the Bears had the ball with an opportunity to tie or take the lead, Fields has succeeded solely 3 times in 23 possessions: one triumph in every season.
His fourth-quarter passer ranking this season ranks thirty sixth among the many 37 quarterbacks with a minimum of 50 fourth-quarter makes an attempt, forward of solely the New England Patriots’ Bailey Zappe (48.3).
This, one former coordinator mentioned, is a crimson flag. Bright crimson.
“It’s damning,” he mentioned. “That tells you he’s just not an accurate passer, that he’s not processing at a high level. … There are just certain things that are in your DNA or they’re not. Sure, you can make improvements. A little bit. But those things are who you are.”
Another NFC offensive assistant mentioned fourth-quarter playmaking is actually a crystal ball into how a quarterback would fare within the playoffs.
“Because you’re talking about known passing situations,” he mentioned. “So a quarterback’s observe document in that space ought to inform you a large number. When you’re in identified passing conditions, are you able to drop again, persistently make the best choices and win the soccer sport throwing the ball?
“That’s the fourth quarter. This is the NFL. It’s set up to be close in the fourth. And you’re going to have to throw the ball well to win the games. … That’s what this league is. And it ain’t changing. You’re going to have to win games in two-minute (offense).”
8. So what if the Bears select to pivot by buying and selling Fields and drafting a quarterback in April?
The most evident arrow factors towards choosing USC’s Caleb Williams at No. 1. From a expertise perspective, Williams has jaw-dropping talents.
ESPN’s Jordan Reid is amongst many draft analysts who fee Williams as the highest prospect within the 2024 class whereas seeing potential NFL stardom in his future. And “potential” is the operative phrase.
“He can make every single throw on the field that you’d want,” Reid mentioned. “He’s a very good processor of information, a good read-and-react type of quarterback. Then you add on top of that the high-level improvisational skills he brings to the table, and he’s really everything you want at the position with what we’re seeing in today’s game.”
Particularly because it pertains to Williams’ pure pocket really feel and the way that may translate to the NFL, Reid doesn’t see that as a piece in progress.
“That’s another special trait he does have where it’s an innate feel of being able to play inside of the pocket,” Reid mentioned. “He just has a feel and awareness of everything going on around him and he’s always in control.”
As one present GM mentioned, the Bears may simply keep on with Fields and really feel comfy he will likely be a stable single, probably a double, as a beginning quarterback. But the aim is to hit a house run.
“And they don’t even have to swing for the fences with this one,” the GM mentioned. “They’ve got the (bleeping) No. 1 overall pick.”
9. One league supply joked that the analysis of Williams’ faculty tape may be accomplished in half a day.
That’s how straightforward it’s to fall in love with Willams’ playmaking aptitude, pocket poise and arm expertise. Another govt agreed.
“The tape is beautiful,” he mentioned. “Better than I expected actually.”
That exec took a important eye to Williams’ tape initially, skeptical that it could reside as much as all the skin hype. He was fallacious. He cherished it.
“He’s just calm,” he mentioned. “He’s cool. It’s like watching a smooth basketball player. It’s fun to watch.”
No, Williams isn’t a flawless prospect. He’s on the shorter facet and would possibly measure proper round 6 toes on the mix subsequent month. His off-script playmaking brilliance additionally has created unhealthy habits through which he often depends on that power as a crutch and, in flip, will get unnecessarily reckless.
“He has to better understand when he needs to keep the Superman cape in the closet,” Reid mentioned. “Because he plays a lot of hero ball.”
Williams additionally has had fumbling issues all through his faculty profession and might want to polish his ball-security fundamentals.
One GM was upfront in asserting that Williams’ play may be erratic. “There is some tape where you go, ‘Man, what is going on?’ No rhythm. No structure. You’re not sure where he’s looking,” the GM mentioned. “But with that, you also recognize immediately that he is a freak talent. He can do it all.”
10. A former league govt careworn it’s necessary to recollect the place Ryan Poles got here from.
Thirteen seasons in Kansas City. Current dwelling of Patrick Mahomes.
The Chiefs drafted Mahomes in 2017 once they already had a stable starter in Alex Smith, who in 2016 helped propel the workforce to 12 wins and a division title.
With Poles serving because the workforce’s director of school scouting throughout that draft cycle, the Chiefs made a collective resolution that Mahomes was an all-in, must-get expertise at an important place.
The Chiefs traded up 17 slots, drafted Mahomes at No. 10 and by no means appeared again. Over Mahomes’ first 5 seasons as a starter, he gained 63 regular-season video games and 11 extra within the playoffs. He has gone to the convention championship sport in each season he has began, advancing to the Super Bowl 3 times and bringing dwelling two Lombardi trophies.
As pie-in-the-sky as which will appear as a goal, that’s the world the Bears needs to be actively attempting to unlock.
Even on this season of well-documented wrestle and frustration in Kansas City, Mahomes has surpassed 4,000 passing yards and led the Chiefs to their eighth consecutive AFC West championship.
“And this,” the previous exec mentioned, “is in his down year, their panic year. That’s a different world, man. It really is. But that’s the destination.”
11. The consensus across the league is that an important pre-draft homework to be executed on Williams will concentrate on how he’s wired.
As it pertains to the Bears particularly, the DNA take a look at will likely be essential.
Said one GM: “How is he going to be contained in the stress of Chicago? That’s a soccer city with grand expectations. How is he going to deal with that? This isn’t like Brock Purdy, the final choose within the draft on a superb (49ers) workforce with nothing to lose. This is like a whole metropolis goes to be relying on him to be the man.
“And if he winds up there, he’ll also be replacing a guy (in Fields) that the fan base seemingly really liked. Man, that’s a lot to take. It’s a lot to handle.”
Would these dynamics show an excessive amount of for Williams? Or is he constructed with the resilience and psychological fortitude to thrive underneath that strain? That will likely be an enormous element of the vetting course of.
The Bears’ deep dive into Williams’ journey seemingly would require them to satisfy with individuals at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C.; with those that had been with Williams at Oklahoma in 2021; and with others who’ve identified him the final two years at USC.
“You dig in as far as you can,” the GM mentioned. “What do his teammates consider him? How is he within the locker room? What is his private character? What is his soccer character? How does this man deal with adversity? What is he like when he’s succeeding? Work ethic. Leadership. Mental capability.
“The football part is easy in evaluating a guy’s strengths and weaknesses. Everything else you have to dig in on.”
Added one other coach: “There are alphas who are legitimate alphas because of who they are as a person. And there are guys considered alphas simply because they were the best player on their college team. Teams have to feel that out. Are you an alpha? Or were you just the best player on your team and that’s why everyone was looking to you?”
12. To that finish, Williams’ rocky 2023 season could also be a blessing in disguise for NFL groups striving to be taught what he’s product of.
The 2022 Heisman Trophy winner wasn’t even a finalist for that award in 2023. His workforce misplaced 5 video games. His personal struggles had been magnified by an out of doors world trying to solid aspersions. When Williams’ Trojans misplaced to Washington and he subsequently cried within the stands together with his mother, it triggered a weeklong nationwide debate on whether or not he was gentle or simply passionate.
When Williams declined to talk to reporters after USC’s November loss to rival UCLA, critics piled on once more. The roller-coaster trip was quick and, incessantly, disorienting.
But NFL groups are all the time attempting to know and venture how a prospect — significantly a extremely touted quarterback — will deal with the ups and downs. Williams’ 2023 season will take away a number of the guesswork.
Said an NFC assistant coach: “Just talk to the right people. You’ll know pretty quickly how he handled all of it.”
The identical coach careworn that gauging and predicting a prospect’s maturity is essential.
“What’s hardest to know is how they will interact and how they adapt to the responsibility of leading other grown men,” the coach mentioned. “With a few of these guys, the most important problem you face is educating them the way to lose. In our league, you possibly can lose seven video games and nonetheless go win the Super Bowl. So each week you must reload.
“In college they can sometimes get by with getting upset or feeling down. People frame it as, ‘He cares.’ In the league? Guys don’t feel that way. Some of these guys have kids who are 10 and 12 years old. They’re like, ‘Get out of your feelings, bro. Come on. We don’t have time for all of that.’ You have to get in the huddle and be in the locker room every day and lead grown men.”
13. What about North Carolina’s Drake Maye?
Maye is extensively thought-about the No. 2 quarterback prospect within the draft class. He has prototypical dimension (6-foot-4, 230 kilos), a reside arm and high quality soccer consciousness. ESPN’s Reid is impressed with Maye’s deep-ball prowess and the flashes he exhibits when he trusts what he sees.
“There are about five or six moments every single game where you’re like, ‘Man, yeah, this dude looks like a top-three pick,’” Reid mentioned. “So what’s your hope? Eventually, when he has better support around him and consistency with a play caller, you’re hoping those flashes turn into consistency.”
Reid additionally has LSU’s Jayden Daniels, Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. and Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy in his subsequent tier of quarterbacks on this class. The latter two will face off on the nationwide championship stage Monday in a sport that would have an effect on each gamers’ pre-draft trajectory.
14. No matter what the Bears resolve to do, they need to proceed to strengthen the infrastructure round their quarterback.
No one has the precise system for devising a developmental launching pad for a younger quarterback, however there’s a lengthy checklist of finest practices. A sturdy offensive line is an apparent plus. So is a steady of established cross catchers.
Other strategies to catalyze a prospect’s development are a powerful quarterback room that features a smart and revered veteran who may be an on a regular basis useful resource and a loyal quarterbacks coach with the flexibility to show, push and encourage.
“That quarterback room has to be sturdy,” one present GM mentioned. “That’s where your guy goes to learn. It’s where he goes to lean. That’s where he creates his habits. It’s really important.”
Naturally, a powerful connection between the quarterback and his play caller additionally is taken into account important.
“That is the key piece,” the previous exec mentioned. “That has to be synced up. There better be great rapport.”
A former AFC coordinator advised that egos must be checked when a workforce drafts a quarterback, particularly within the prime 10.
“When you draft a quarterback that high, that’s not the GM’s pick. It’s not the coach’s pick. It’s an organizational decision,” he mentioned. “From Minute 1, the entire group has to know that they work for that child. So what’s finest for that younger man?
“You have to learn the kid first. But no matter who it is, there’s a certain way to treat them and a certain way to foster their growth.”
15. Last 12 months’s customers of the No. 1 choose — the Carolina Panthers — are seen as a case examine of what to not do when drafting a quarterback.
Said one GM: “Their o-line sucks. They don’t have any receivers who can get open. That can’t happen. You’re not even giving your guy a chance. Then you throw in immediate instability in the coaching staff and it’s just a disaster.”
Another league supply expressed disbelief that the Panthers, of their commerce as much as get Bryce Young, gave the Bears DJ Moore, a confirmed top-tier receiver who would have been a pleasant go-to playmaker for a rookie quarterback. Moore’s exit got here 4 1/2 months after the Panthers dealt working again Christian McCaffrey to San Francisco.
Fifteen begins into his profession, Young already faces a steeper climb whereas listening to a refrain of criticism. The lesson for the Bears? Don’t try this.
“You better create stability,” the GM mentioned. “And loads of it. Within your teaching (workers). With the roster. Something that provides the child an opportunity to have some early success and never simply get the (crap) beat out of him each play, each sport.
“All these guys are playing earlier than ever. You want them to have a chance to have a chance.”
The 2021 Bears are also seen in league circles as a cautionary story after GM Ryan Pace and coach Matt Nagy had been inspired to discover a new quarterback however then had been put right into a “win or else” season that finally price them their jobs after Fields’ rookie 12 months.
“Justin Fields? My God!” the previous AFC govt mentioned. “That’s one other instance of being arrange for failure. ‘Hey, kid, we’re eliminating the man who cherished you and believes in you to usher in individuals who could not need you. Now you must show your self to them.’
“Nothing like a young quarterback being worried about having to prove himself to a (new) staff. That’s the last thing a new quarterback should have to worry about.”
The lesson for the Bears? Again, don’t try this.
That identical supply mentioned the skin fascination with the Bears’ quarterback plans is rising. The stakes are excessive for the workforce’s resolution makers.
“This is their moment. With this decision,” the supply mentioned. “This is their chance to either go forward or move out of the league by choosing which quarterback they want.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com