Matt Eberflus on Justin Fields: I certainly see progress
Sunday's loss to the Packers pushed the Panthers closer to securing the worst record in the NFL for the 2023 season and that moved the Bears closer to having the first pick in the 2024 draft.
They have the Panthers' choice because they traded last year's first overall pick to Carolina and stuck with Justin Fields rather than selecting another quarterback. If the Panthers do remain at the bottom of the barrel, the Bears are going to have the same choice on their hands this offseason.
Sunday's win over the Cardinals was the latest data point for the Bears to use as they move toward that decision. Fields was 15-of-27 for 170 yards, a touchdown and an interception while running nine times for 97 yards and a score. Those are the kinds of numbers that Fields often produces and the question about whether his passing will progress enough to allow him to take the next steps as a starting quarterback.
During his postgame press conference, Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said Fields had "some really dynamic scrambles and runs" and said it was cool to see that Fields "looked down the field a lot of times and he made some passes" as well.
"I see it as progress," Eberflus said. "When you're the winning quarterback on the winning team, that's always good, right? He's been part of that; the last three out of four wins have been coming out of the two-minute, and he's been part of that. I certainly do see progress."
There are two more games left for Fields to make his case this season and then the Bears will have to make a call that will set the stage for several seasons to come.
