'Play-making' Justin Fields impresses in NFL debut

Justin Fields made his NFL debut on Saturday afternoon. The 11th-overall pick in April’s draft, the Ohio State product is sitting behind Andy Dalton right now. But after his performance against the Dolphins over the weekend, Chicago’s timetable on brining Fields into the starting quarterback fold could be moved up.

NFL Network’s Chad Reuter broke down Fields’ first appearance in Chicago’s 20-13 preseason victory over the Miami Dolphins at Soldier Field.

Justin Fields debut grade: B

Fields rallied Chicago back from a 13-0 deficit in his debut by throwing for a touchdown and running for one in the win. He was 14-of-20 for 142 yards with a score. His first score came on an eight-yard touchdown run as he evaded a Dolphins linebacker and lowered his shoulder to get into the end zone. He then found Jesse James, who was wide open, for a 30-yard touchdown.

“He stepped into Chicago’s win over Miami at the start of the second quarter, making accurate throws across his body when flushed out of the pocket,” Reuter wrote. “One such throw converted a third down that led to a much-needed field goal at the end of the first half. His running ability resulted in an 8-yard touchdown at the end of the team’s first drive of the second half, then a big gain on the following drive. Chicago coaches took advantage of the defense spying Fields on a bootleg to the right, allowing for what may be the easiest touchdown pass of his career to tight end Jesse James.”

“On the negative side, Fields stared down his primary receiver a couple of times, allowing a pass break-up at the line and another downfield. He floated a couple of throws, one which should have been intercepted. Fields also fumbled when trying to spin out of an open-field tackle. So the debut featured typical rookie errors, but also play-making abilities that the Bears haven’t seen in their quarterback for some time.”

Reuter gave Fields’ overall performance a B. The rookie will have two more preseason opportunities to show his potential. The Bears play the Bills on Saturday and close out the preseason at Tennessee on Aug. 28. 

Quarterback competition in the works

The Chicago Bears traded up for the No. 11 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, selecting Justin Fields and hoping the former Buckeyes great can right Bears football in the Windy City.

Fields showed up in Columbus two seasons ago and immediately made Ohio State a national championship contender. He took the Buckeyes to two consecutive College Football Playoff appearances, leading them to a national title berth last season.

The NFL Draft cycle was been especially brutal on Fields, though. His character and arm accuracy have been overly-criticized. For months, his name appeared at a different landing spot by the day.

But now Fields is in Chicago, showing why he should have been drafted higher. Chicago Bears coach Matt Nagy initially wanted Fields to learn behind Andy Dalton for a season. But if the rookie continues to play at a high level, the plan could change.

“It is pre-season. We all understand that there’s variables involved in all that,” Nagy said on Saturday. “But at some point in time, if you said, hey you go back and you look. Is he doing what we want him to do? Absolutely.”