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One of the primary knocks on Chicago Bears rookie quarterback Justin Fields has been his tendency to sling many of the passes he throws with impressive velocity, making him more of a one-speed passer. But one NFL scout says that the way Fields is playing now reminds him of a current MVP candidate.
Fields is coming off what many feel has been his best game so far. The 22-year-old QB had his third-best day yardage-wise, throwing for 175 yards through the air, but he had a career day on the ground, punctuated by a ridiculous 22-yard touchdown run on 4th and 1 in the 4th quarter:
Brad Biggs of The Chicago Tribune talked to multiple NFL scouts about Fields, and one made a very interesting comparison that bodes very well for the team.
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NFL Scout: Justin Fields is Like Josh Allen as a Rookie
The recent success of the Buffalo Bills has a great deal to do with the ascent of franchise quarterback Josh Allen, who has evolved over his four seasons into a perennial MVP candidate. As it happens, through his first six starts, Fields is reminding some of Allen, a big, mobile QB with a cannon for an arm.
In his November 1 column, Biggs revealed what a few scouts told him about Fields, sharing their thoughts on his performance against the 49ers. The Bears lost, 33-22, but Fields looked good both throwing the ball and running with it, finishing with 175 yards passing, 103 yards rushing and two total TDs. Fields also threw an interception on a long ball to wideout Darnell Mooney at the end of the game, and it was on that play one scout saw the comparison to Allen plain as day:
That was Josh Allen younger in his career. He was a one-speed thrower. He was like a reliever out of the bullpen throwing straight heat. You see Josh has developed touch and the ability to throw with touch and pace, which is a huge part of his game. But earlier in his career, he was just giving you a rocket every time, and it didn’t matter what level of the field he was at, he was throwing hard. He had to develop another pitch, and I think that is where Justin Fields is at right now. He made some touch throws moving out of the pocket on boot to the tight ends, but when he loads it up to go down the field, he’s throwing it pretty hard right now. There are times you have to put some touch on it and pace to give your receivers a chance to go up and get it or run under it.
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Allen Has Worked With OC Brian Daboll Since 2018
Consistency matters in the NFL, and part of why Allen has developed into a guy who threw for 4,544 yards and ran for an additional 421 last season is because he has worked with the same offensive coordinator, Brian Daboll, since entering the league in 2018.
Fields likely won’t have that luxury, as many are predicting the Bears are going to part ways with head coach Matt Nagy after the season unless something drastic happens between now and then, and if Nagy goes, OC Bill Lazor and the majority of the coaching staff will surely follow.
Still, though, if he can stay healthy, there seems to be no ceiling for the Bears’ rookie QB.
Another scout told Biggs that with a player as talented as Fields, it’s going to take him a little time to find a good balance between when to throw and when to take off and run. “He just looks different than everyone else. It was a step forward,” the scout said about Fields’ game vs San Francisco, adding:
“It’s just going to be a gradual progression for Fields in the pocket because he wants to leave. He wants to run. He knows he can do it and he trusts himself. So instead of hanging in there and trying to find No. 3, he’s saying, ‘I’m going to take off and get us the first down’ because he can. As he grows up at the position, he’ll start going backside and finding No. 3 and taking what is there.”
There’s no guarantee Fields will be as good as Allen, of course, but it’s certainly encouraging to hear that some experts in the field think it’s possible.
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