The Bears are still trying to right their ship from the Matt Nagy era, but Matt Eberflus is entering his first season as their head coach with a quarterback in place. Justin Fields, drafted last season, was a popular media darling heading into the 2021 NFL Draft, but he struggled as a rookie.
Fields, of course, had a myriad of factors working against him. He reportedly didn’t work well with Nagy, the Bears had no weapons on the field, and he was still a first-year player adjusting to the game speed of the NFL.
Heading into Fields’ second season, some things are better. Luke Getsy, the Bears’ new offensive coordinator, is fresh off a stint as QB coach of the Packers. New quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko has a history with Getsy, so the chemistry is there. And Eberflus seems willing to check his ego at the door as a defensive-minded coach.
There are, however, other issues at play. The Bears have a weak wide receiver room on paper, with presumptive No. 1 Darnell Mooney being joined by Byron Pringle, Velus Jones Jr., and N’Keal Harry. The offensive line is still very much a work in progress. And the coaching staff — while ostensibly improved — is unproven.
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What were Justin Fields’ stats in 2021?
Fields didn’t initially start at quarterback for the Bears in 2021. Nagy made the controversial decision to start Andy Dalton, which rubbed some Bears fans the wrong way. Nagy’s hand, however, was forced was Dalton suffered a bone bruise on his knee in Week 2 against the Bengals.
Fields entered that game and completed 6 of 13 passes for 60 yards and an interception, an inauspicious debut for him. In his first start against the Browns, it was an unmitigated disaster. Fields completed 6 of 20 passes for 68 yards and was sacked nine(!) times.
Fields had his signature moment on Monday Night Football against the Steelers, leading a comeback drive late, but Pittsburgh immediately responded as the Chicago defense folded and the Bears lost, 29-27.
Ultimately, it was a tumultuous first season for Fields, who really only seemed to click with Mooney. The receiver still has two years on his rookie contract, so Fields will get plenty of chances with him this season.
Justin Fields stats
| Player | Comp/Att | Comp % | Yards | TDs | INTs | AIY | QBR |
| Justin Fields | 159/270 | 58.9% | 1,870 | 7 | 10 | 9.5 | 26.4 |
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Bears WR depth chart: How Darnell Mooney, N’Keal Harry, others project
Bears wide receiver depth chart for 2022
If you’re the Bears, you are still aware you’re very much rebuilding. With no first-round pick in 2022, Chicago didn’t make helping Fields a priority. Instead, it drafted like a team that just added a defensive coordinator as a head coach, taking cornerback Kyler Gordon and safety Jaquan Brisker with its first two picks.
However, while much has been made about the Bears not adding receivers, receivers weren’t the priority. The Bears have three new faces on the offensive line: Riley Reiff at left tackle, Lucas Patrick at center, and Michael Schofield at guard. Only veteran Cody Whitehair and 2021 second-rounder Teven Jenkins retained their positions.
But, that isn’t what this section is referring to. The Bears’ receivers are, to be blunt, not great. Pringle is a cast-off from the loaded Chiefs receiving corps, so perhaps with more target shares he can make an impact. Jones is a fresh face the Bears selected this year.
Projected 2022 Bears receivers (with career stats)
| Player | Year | Catches | Yards | TDs | Catch % |
| Darnell Mooney | 3 | 142 | 1,686 | 8 | 59.7% |
| Byron Pringle | 4 | 67 | 898 | 7 | 72% |
| Velus Jones Jr. | R | — | — | — | — |
| N’Keal Harry | 4 | 57 | 598 | 4 | 55.3% |
| Equanimeous St. Brown | 4 | 37 | 543 | 1 | 56.1% |
| Tajae Sharpe | 6 | 117 | 1,397 | 8 | 57.1% |
It’s a bit eye-popping seeing these numbers and realizing the Bears let Allen Robinson walk without replacing him. The best thing you can say about this corps is it’s young and potentially moldable. But at the surface, this is an awful lot of pressure to put on Mooney.
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What’s the best-case scenario for the Bears in 2022?
At the core of all of this is one question: What should Bears fans hope for this season?
For starters, the sack numbers have to come down. The Bears are working in reverse from the Bengals right now. While Cincinnati prioritized receivers for Joe Burrow and seemed willing to figure out the offensive line later, the Bears clearly flipped those priorities. They tried to shore up the offensive line this offseason and left receiver alone.
So, the first thing Bears fans should look for in their version of a perfect season is a significant decline from Fields’ 36 sacks last year. Fields had 2.4 seconds of pocket time per attempt last season, bottom half in the league but without a huge disparity. He needs to work faster in the time he has.
The next aspect that needs to improve is the play-calling. Fields’ 9.5 intended air yards per attempt were third in the NFL last year, behind Russell Wilson and Lamar Jackson. Those two have been running their styles of offense for far longer. With an OC who is familiar with the Packers offense, expect some more bootlegs out of Fields and something closer to Aaron Rodgers’ 7.6 yards per attempt to keep Fields comfortable.
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Next, the Bears’ receivers need to create separation. This one is a huge question mark. One of the reasons the Bears got Pringle is because he actually brings outstanding separation stats, 4.1 yards per play, tied for second in the league. If he can do that and Fields can cultivate his relationship with Mooney, the Bears’ passing attack could see improvement after all.
Finally, there’s the “you’ll know when you see it” test. When a quarterback takes a step in the NFL, it’s immediately evident. The Bears need to see one — but preferably two — of those steps from Fields this year. If he can own the play before the snap and confidently go through his reads within it, that’s a win for Chicago.
Will the Bears get a playoff berth out of it? That’s unlikely. They’re a work in progress.
But for all of the criticism around their offseason, they’re trying to build something around Fields, even if the path they’re taking is more winding than one might hope. Eventually, the onus is going to fall on the quarterback to take the reins and make something out of it, so the question is if he has enough to do so.
The Bears, for their part, might have to chase a receiver at some point in the near future. But if nothing else, there seems to be a vision there, even if it isn’t a glitzy one.
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