The excitement surrounding Justin Fields’ arrival in Chicago is unlike anything the Bears fan base has experienced in recent history. It’s the complete opposite of what Mitchell Trubisky’s arrival entailed — both perception wise and performance wise during rookie minicamp.
While it’s unfair to compare Fields and Trubisky’s development through one wave of offseason practices, there are some that are going to wonder about the trajectory of Fields compared to Trubisky. Which is natural considering the quarterback curse this franchise has been jinxed with. There’s a desire to look for a sign that Fields is truly the one that can rewrite the quarterback narrative in Chicago.
And while it’s only been three practices during rookie minicamp, Fields is already ahead of where Trubisky was as a rookie, according to NBC Sports Chicago’s Adam Hoge.
Here’s what Hoge had to say about Fields and Trubisky’s respective rookie minicamps:
Both Fields and Trubisky entered their rookie minicamps with similar short-term questions. Neither player was asked to command a huddle or take many snaps from under center in college. In the larger picture, Fields played in bigger games and handled more full-field reads, but in terms of what they were focused on in minicamp, the goals were pretty similar.
And there’s no doubt Fields performed better.
Again, that means very little in defining his career path. That’s not the point of this column. But when you consider the starting point – the base of Justin Fields’ foundation – the early results suggest he’s ahead of where Trubisky was four years ago.
While Fields was impressive during his first practices, he still has a long way to go before he earns that starting job. Although, if rookie minicamp was any indication, he’s certainly on his way.
Who knows, maybe Fields will be the one that finally breaks the quarterback curse that has been inflicted on this franchise for the last several decades. But for now, let’s just enjoy the ride.
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