The Chicago Bears have had a thoroughly disappointing 2022 season, but at least they can console themselves with the development of their young passer. Quarterback Justin Fields practiced fully on Thursday, earning his first day without a limited designation since injuring his shoulder in Week 11's 27-24 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
Bears QB Justin Fields was a full participant in practice today.
— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) December 1, 2022
Fields played every offensive snap of the Bears' game with the Falcons but later testing revealed a separated non-throwing shoulder. He missed the Bears' Week 12 31-10 loss to the New York Jets. Backup quarterback Trevor Siemian netted a largely futile 165 passing yards on 27 dropbacks.
At 3-9, the Bears season is likely already lost, but Fields has at least provided fans with a reason for hope. He has emerged as one of the league's most thrilling dual-threat quarterbacks, rushing for 75.8 yards per game while passing for 149.3. Though it hasn't necessarily translated to wins or an especially effective offense (the Bears rank 19th in points scored), Fields' evolving play should be enough to make the organization eager to see more.
From this point on, the Bears' highest priority should be maximizing Fields' future. The team will have a hard decision this week between rest or reps for their second-year passer. On the one hand, a chance to beat the rival Green Bay Packers would do wonders for the optimism of the Bears franchise. On the other, there's little reason to risk the young passer's health on an ultimately meaningless game.
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