Chicago Bears: 5 Winners from the 2021 preseason

1. Justin Fields, Quarterback

From the moment the Chicago Bears drafted Justin Fields, he’s had a lot of pressure on his shoulders. Chicago Bears Nation feels he is the franchise quarterback the team looked for during its entire century of existence. As Fields says, however, he was “built for this.” Those were bold words, but he showed in his time with Ohio State that he enjoys the pressure and the limelight.

Then he went to Chicago and he continues to shine under the bright lights.

Despite having Nagy bring him in slowly, Fields shined during training camp and in the preseason games. Does he still have things to learn? Yes, he does, but he displayed all the tools he has that should make him a star for the years to come.

He finished the preseason 30-for-49 (61.2 percent completion rate) for 276 yards, three touchdowns (two throwing, one rushing), no interceptions, 92 rushing yards, and a 97.0 passer rating.

Yes, FIelds made some rookie mistakes, but he showed how quickly he learns when he corrected those mistakes later in the game. Also, he showed that the speed of the game isn’t overwhelming him. He’s stood in the pocket and taken off when it broke down. He isn’t a run-first quarterback, though. He moves around looking to throw the ball. When there is nothing to target, he uses his legs. That is something neither Andy Dalton nor Nick Foles can do.

What Dalton and Foles also cannot do is make the throw Fields is capable of. Fields just has all the tools and showed that the wait for his debut isn’t too far away. Yes, Nagy wanted him to sit and learn, but unlike what happened with Patrick Mahomes, Fields shouldn’t wait as long. It will be a pleasure to watch Fields throwing to the likes of Allen Robinson and Darnell Mooney.

Nagy said almost as soon as the Bears drafted Fields that Dalton would be the starting quarterback. That’s exactly what happened. Fields’ job was to show that Dalton’s time as QB1 should be a short one. He did that. Now we wait for that debut.