LAKE FOREST – Over the course of the next few weeks, the new head coach of the Bears will get the opportunity to make some early evaluations of his roster that is very much in flux.
A number of new players have to find their place on the roster, including a few starters on both sides of the ball. That’s what usually happens when a team parts ways with its general manager and are dealing with some significant salary cap issues.
Matt Eberflus is getting the chance to get a look at the players for the first time as OTA workouts continue over the next few weeks, giving him an idea of what he’ll have to work with once training camp arrives in July.
One of the biggest players he’ll have to look at is the player under center, who is one of the few players on the roster who knows where he stands entering the 2022 season.
So what stands out early about Justin Fields to Eberflus? He had one answer in particular when asked about the quarterback on Tuesday.
“Man, he throws a good deep ball, I would say that,” said Eberflus of Fields. “I’m excited about that.
That’s an opportunity that Fields didn’t have much during his rookie season of 2021 for a number of reasons. With the offense still struggling on how to use the quarterback among other things, deep shots were few and far between.
A 64-yard throw to Darnell Mooney in Week 4 against the Lions was the longest of his season, but that could change with new coordinator Luke Getsy in place. While plenty of questions have to be answered before that, what Eberflus has noticed so far makes him believe the Bears could air it out a bit more in 2022.
“You can see that in the 7-on-7 and 11-on-11s, and we’re going to take and we’re going to take our shots down the field,” said Eberflus. “Man, he does a nice job doing that, and that’s what stands out to me.”