Jon Durr-USA TODAY Sports
Justin Fields turned in his best practice of training camp so far on Monday, where all of the attributes the Bears loved about him were on display. Whether it was his deep-ball accuracy, using his mobility to extend plays or his leadership, correcting a teammate on a play, it’s hard not to get excited about Fields’ potential to be a star in this league.
“Justin Fields was good,” The Athletic’s Adam Jahns wrote. “It’s the velocity of his throws, particularly over the middle, but also how often he gives his wide receivers/tight ends a chance to make plays. His scrambling and ability to change his arm angle on throws stood out, too.”
While Fields missed on his first deep ball, overthrowing wide receiver Marquise Goodwin, he later threw darts to wide receiver Thomas Ives, who dropped it, and wide receiver Javon Wims, who hauled in a deep touchdown.
But Fields’ best throw of the day was a sidearm pass running to his left, where he threaded the needle to tight end Jesse James for a completion. It was the kind of throw that makes you stop and go, “Whoa, this kid is something special.”
Justin Fields making it look easy 🎯pic.twitter.com/dTJ8WvJJ4t
— BFR (@BearsFilmRoom) August 2, 2021
Holy SMOKES! Fields with a “Mahomes” sidearm throw running to his left and fit the ball into tight coverage for the completion to Jesse James. 😳
— The Chicago Audible (@ChicagoAudible) August 2, 2021
Fields also showed off his mobility during Monday’s practice, where he was able to extend one play and even use his legs to convert on third-and-long. But when Fields tucks the ball to run, he’s conscious of getting hit. That goes back to the College Football Playoff semifinal against Clemson, when Fields took a shot to the ribs and continued to play through it, even tossing four touchdowns after his injury.
“I’m still scarred from that Clemson hit,” Fields said. “Literally every time I tuck the ball down and run, I’m thinking about getting out of bounds or getting down. There is, of course, going to be times when you have to try to fight for extra yardage. I’m definitely smarter and trying to protect myself more.”
