Bears offseason: Quarterback question dominates planning…
INDIANAPOLIS — The Bears maintain that they arrived in Indianapolis for the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine still early in the information-gathering stage of their franchise-defining quarterback journey.
Both general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus talked Tuesday in Indianapolis, painting a picture of a franchise that wants everyone to believe things are up in the air. Poles said he had “no master plan” and admitted the timeline to a final decision could be longer than expected based on how long it takes him to know the top prospects as people. Eberflus said the Bears are still in the process of evaluating everything as they plot a course forward.
Poles said he plans to be transparent with quarterback Justin Fields and will “do right by” Fields and trade him quickly should the Bears decide their best course is to move on from the 24-year-old quarterback.
Everything the Bears said Tuesday was about putting on the facade that they haven’t decided whether Fields is part of their future. But things started to slip through as Poles and Eberflus talked about the traits they look for in a quarterback, giving a big hint at the direction they are currently leaning.
“I look at situations. I look at the guys that can operate third down, two-minute, and the end of the game situations,” Eberflus said Tuesday. “To me, that’s a separator. And then you look at toughness. Toughness for a quarterback really is about the mental toughness to be able to stand in the pocket and deliver the ball and also to have the discernment to be able to move out of the pocket and create when it’s necessary. They come in all different shapes and sizes. It’s always been fun to evaluate those.
“I know what a good quarterback looks like and what’s hard on a defense is a guy who has the ability to create, a guy who has the ability to throw with timing and accuracy, and the guy who can move the ball down the field when it’s the critical moments. So on third down, two-minute, all those critical moments.”
Fields’ inability to deliver in the fourth quarter has been a quarterback scarlet letter over the past two seasons.
Out of 40 quarterbacks who threw at least 50 passes in the fourth quarter last season, Fields ranked 39th in passer rating at 53.4. Only Bailey Zappe was worse. He ranked 28th in yards, tied for 26th in touchdown passes, and was tied for the second most interceptions in the final quarter. Thirty-one quarterbacks threw at least 20 passes this season while trailing with four minutes or less remaining in the game. Fields ranked 29th in passer rating and 28th in completion percentage and was tied with Jordan Love and Aidan O’Connell for the most interceptions.