Former Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields, now with the Chicago Bears, rushes for a touchdown against the Miami Dolphins at Soldier Field on Aug. 14, 2021. Credit: John J. Kim via TNS
After impressing at the Chicago Bears training camp, it was no surprise that former Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields shined in his NFL debut Saturday against Miami.
Fields completed 14 of 20 passes for 140 yards and a touchdown while rushing for an additional 33 yards and a touchdown. As the former Buckeyes’ signal caller continues his transition to the professional game, his former head coach Ryan Day said he has all the tools to succeed at the next level.
“He’s super athletic and he will adjust with what he needs to adjust with,” Day said April 30. “The thing about him is if maybe it’s not working, he’ll get it solved quickly. The thing I always go back to is that he’s never not succeeded in his life at what he’s really set his mind to.”
Although Fields showed off that athleticism when he pulled out his signature spin-move that gave Big Ten defenders fits during Saturday’s game, it didn’t hold the same results that it did at the collegiate level. Fields had the ball stripped, but luckily for him, it rolled harmlessly out of bounds.
In what was one of his first learning curves at the next level, Fields said he learned that the spin move would likely not translate well to the NFL following his debut.
“After that, I think I’m going to officially retire the spin move,” Fields said.
Working with the second-team offense against Miami’s second-team defense, Fields made plays in both 11-on-11 and 7-on-7 drills during joint practices. He also was willing to use his check downs and took care of the ball well in practice, similar to his time at Ohio State.
He made a few throws that brought the crowd to their feet, including one when he rolled to his left — almost backpedaling — and threw a pass across the field that landed in the receiver’s hands.
While at Ohio State, Fields contributed heavily in the run game. But on Thursday, he ran only one designed run: a quarterback draw. Although Fields’ running ability was limited in practice, he was still able to show off his athleticism.
The Bears had Fields roll out quite a bit on pass plays. Most of the time, he would find the open receiver, but when there wasn’t one, he would run it himself — something he did on Saturday all over the field, not just in the red zone, and during his time at Ohio State.
“I definitely feel good outside of the pocket,” Fields said. “It definitely puts a lot of stress on the defense and allows me to play backyard football with the receivers. The more that happens and the more we can get on the same page when I do get out of the pocket, the better we can be.”
Fields’ most impressive play during the practice came during red zone drills. He was nearly perfect, with the only incompletion being a drop from receiver Riley Ridley. After that play, he went over to Ridley to give him support.
Following his debut, Fields harped on the fact that he needs to improve in order to be the franchise quarterback the Bears selected him to be.
“I’m all in on getting better,” Fields said. “I want to be the best I can be, so I’m going to do whatever I have to do to be that guy.”
