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While we’re just a few games into Bears rookie quarterback Justin Fields’ development, one of the the things that’s been prevalent already is his willingness to go deep with the football.
It’s nothing new, considering Fields was praised for his deep-ball accuracy in college, which is something that was also present during training camp and preseason.
Fields has thrown deep on 11 of his 72 attempts this season (15.3%), which is the highest rate in the NFL. By comparison, Andy Dalton attempted 0 deep passes on 50 attempts.
It’s still nice to see a Bears quarterback on a list like this.
Rookie QB Justin Fields has brought a willingness to push the ball deep to the Bears offense that was lacking under Andy Dalton (0 deep passes on 50 total attempts).
Fields has thrown deep on 11 of his 72 attempts this season (15.3%, the highest rate in the NFL).#DaBears pic.twitter.com/H4um1VUDVs
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) October 13, 2021
The Bears haven’t asked Fields to do too much in his first three NFL starts, where they’ve leaned on a strong run game and haven’t asked Fields to throw more than 20 passes all season.
That could change Sunday as the Bears face off against their division rival Packers, where there will be opportunities for Chicago to open up the downfield passing attack with a banged up secondary.
“I can probably in my mind picture all these plays through training camp where he took the shot and shouldn’t have — or took a shot and we’re pleased he tried, even though the defense got their hands on the ball,” said offensive coordinator Bill Lazor.
“That’s the balance for a quarterback, because what you don’t want is a cautious quarterback. You want a guy who’s aggressive but who’s smart. The balance of that is the key to growth. I think he’s done a good job with that, and he’s taken some throws down the field.”