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“Hope springs eternal” is often associated with the start of baseball season. The idea is no matter where a team finished the previous year, optimism abounds.
The quote comes from a poem published by Englishman Alexander Pope in 1733. Nearly 300 years later, it applies to the Chicago Bears, who reported to training camp Tuesday at Halas Hall with no shortage of confidence and enthusiasm after bottoming out in 2022 with 10 straight losses to finish a 3-14 season.
A busy offseason for general manager Ryan Poles and his front office has created a belief within the organization that a foundation for future success has been laid and that better days — and certainly more competitive Sundays — are right around the corner.
The Bears upgraded the offensive line, with Poles noting that first-round draft pick Darnell Wright, a projected Week 1 starter at right tackle, showed up in terrific shape. The wide receiver room significantly improved with DJ Moore and rookie Tyler Scott joining Darnell Mooney and Chase Claypool, who are both expected to practice Wednesday after recovering from injuries. The Bears also added depth at running back.
All of that is in support of 24-year-old quarterback Justin Fields, on whom so many are pinning the organization’s positive vibes. Without saying as much, it sure looks like Poles’ No. 1 offseason goal was putting Fields in position to succeed.
Along with drafting Wright, the Bears signed right guard Nate Davis to a three-year, $30 million contract and shifted veteran Cody Whitehair back to center. Moore, Claypool and Scott looks a world better than the top three receivers at this time a year ago: Mooney, Byron Pringle and Equanimeous St. Brown.
Upgraded talent and a year of continuity — Fields has no new offense or coaches to learn — are the primary reasons the Bears believe Fields can take a significant step forward after a season filled with electric running plays and too much disjointed passing.
“Just improve,” Poles said when asked what he expects from the third-year starter. “That’s the beautiful thing about football: You’re relying on other people around you too. So really controlling what he can control, looking at himself in the mirror, self-assessment, improving those weaknesses and really attacking that in training camp every single day.
“You want to see him improve everywhere. What he did with his legs was outstanding, but in the pass game, look at the different scenarios, situations, two-minute, and continue to improve that.”
Fields’ running ability — he accounted for 1,143 yards last season, the second-most in league history by a quarterback — is a combination of instincts, rare speed, explosion and strength. It’s the passing game the Bears dialed in on during the offseason.
“The decision-making we’re working on every day,” offensive coordinator Luke Getsy said in June. “Timing and rhythm we’re working on every day. And lastly, the situation you’re in. Putting that all together, you’re just increasing the football IQ so you know better when to take those opportunities and when not to.”
Don’t underestimate how critical this season is for Fields and the franchise. The natural timeline for a quarterback drafted in the first round is for the organization to have conviction — one way or the other — at the end of Year 3 in order to make a decision on the fifth-year option and potentially consider a second contract.
Teams stuck in quarterback limbo can wind up like the New York Giants did, signing Daniel Jones to a four-year, $160 million contract with $92 million guaranteed a year after declining the option in his rookie deal. Maybe that will work out for the Giants — or perhaps they’ll be in scramble mode before that contract is halfway done.
The Bears own two first-round picks in 2024, which would provide a good start if they wanted to trade up to select a quarterback. So they need to have a good understanding of where they are with Fields by the end of this season.
In an ideal world, they would be talking about a second contract for Fields by springtime, but there’s a ton of football to be played before then. Fields said last week on a CBS podcast he wants to become the first 4,000-yard passer in Bears history.
They are the only franchise that hasn’t had a quarterback crack that number. Erik Kramer came closest in 1995 with 3,838. The Bears’ greatest quarterback, Sid Luckman, concluded his playing career more than 70 years ago.
“A Bears quarterback hasn’t done it yet, so that would be cool,” Fields said. “With the help of this guy (motioning to Moore), hopefully I can get there.”
DraftKings set over/unders for Fields’ 2023 season at 2,850 1/2 passing yards, 18 1/2 touchdown passes and 825 1/2 rushing yards. If he can even eclipse 3,000 passing yards (he had 2,242 in 2022) while remaining a dangerous running threat, the Bears could be in the hunt for a playoff berth.
“Everybody around here has the same goal,” Fields said. “Not necessarily writing goals (down), but we all know what the ultimate goal is and that’s to win the Super Bowl. Like DJ said, .500 or better in the season and make the playoffs and go from there.”
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For Fields to chase a team yardage record or a postseason berth, he has to work better within the structure of the passing offense, get through his reads more efficiently and get the ball out on time more often. They are the same obstacles that tripped up Mitch Trubisky in 2019 when the Bears were coming off a 13-3 season and had massive expectations. Instead of taking flight, the offense fizzled and that was the beginning of the end for the previous regime.
It was Bears founder George Halas who once said, “If you live long enough, lots of nice things happen.”
Plenty of Bears followers would say they’ve lived long enough to see a 4,000-yard passer. There’s plenty of optimism at the opening of training camp.
