Justin Fields’ Injury and the Future for the Chicago Bears

Courtney Cronin of ABC News gave more information on what Coach Matt Eberflus said after the Vikings game about the injury:

“There’s no timetable right now,” Eberflus said. “It’s really going to come down to grip strength. There’s natural swelling that occurs with this injury, so we should know more at the end of this week. Fields was working with athletic trainers at Halas Hall on Monday, and Eberflus said he just wants to “give it time” for the swelling to go down.”

The average time for a dislocated thumb to fully heal can range up to six weeks, but could be more for an NFL quarterback that needs the thumb to grip and rip the football. Surgery for Justin Fields could put an end to the most important season of his NFL career thus far, if it ends up being needed.

If Justin Fields does end up having surgery and it means he either does not return to the field until late in the season or at all, the question then becomes “Where do the Bears go from here?”.

It is hard to tell if Ryan Poles and the coaching staff has been able to fairly evaluate Fields through these first six games considering Fields’ play has been quite up and down throughout the season. With highs against Washington and lows against Kansas City. A significant injury to Justin could mean Tyson Bagent as QB1 for the rest of the season as the front office looks forward to a 2024 draft where the team currently holds two first round picks. If Justin Fields is to be shut down for the remainder of the season, it could mark the end of his time as a Chicago Bear.

The team is hopeful that the thumb injury is not significant.