Bears QB Justin Fields once again working on footwork during offseason

Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields must improve as a passer sooner rather than later and, thus, is spending a second-consecutive offseason working on a specific aspect of his game. 

"Obviously, the priority is the passing game," Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said during a Friday news conference, per Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. "We ran the ball very well. But we all know that we’ve got to improve in the passing game. Part of that is the rhythm and timing. That’s the footwork with Justin. He’s been really working on that, really good — in terms of the quick pass, drop-back pass, movement passes. And he’s really made some big strides in that area..." 

Fields admitted last spring a few months after he finished his rookie season that he was altering his footwork at the time in an attempt to eliminate what he and the club viewed as avoidable sacks. The 24-year-old then was a mixed bag of results during his second pro campaign and his first working under Eberflus. 

According to ESPN stats, Fields finished this past regular season first among quarterbacks and seventh among all players with 1,143 rushing yards. While the 2021 first-round draft pick contributed eight rushing touchdowns, he was ranked dead last among eligible players with 149.5 passing yards per game and 32nd out of 34 quarterbacks with a 60.4% completion percentage. 

Such numbers caused some to express doubts this winter about Fields' ability to succeed playing the sport's most important position at the highest level. 

"Right now, we’re doing routes on air and stuff in phase II, so it’s pretty cool to see those guys throw and catch together," Eberflus continued. "But we’ll see when we start playing against defenses and all that...It’s only going to be better." 

If Fields isn't "better" as a passer this coming fall, rumors about the Bears possibly replacing him will almost certainly resurface next offseason.