Snippets from Fishbain of The Athletic this morning:
“One interesting stat from last year was touchdowns per pass attempt. Fields didn’t have nearly as many passing attempts as the league’s top quarterbacks, but he made the most of them when in scoring range, with touchdowns on 5.3 percent of his passes, the sixth-best rate in the league. He was second in the
NFL in that stat from Week 7 through the end of the season.”
But nothing will help Fields the thrower more this year than the biggest acquisition of the offseason: wide receiver D.J. Moore.
Moore had three consecutive 1,100-yard seasons from 2019 to 2021. Only eight Bears in team
history have had 1,100 receiving yards in a season, and no one has done it three years in a row.
Over the past four seasons, Moore ranks 19th out of 93 qualified wide receivers in yards per route run.
Fields hasn’t had a receiver nearly as productive as Moore, who put up those numbers with a revolving door of quarterbacks in Carolina.
The Bears also used the 10th pick in the draft on right tackle Darnell Wright to help fortify the offensive line. They signed tight end Robert Tonyan and running back D’Onta Foreman while drafting running back Roschon Johnson and deep-threat receiver Tyler Scott. It’s a better group of skill players for Fields to throw to. He already had a great rapport with Darnell Mooney and Cole Kmet, and the Bears are hoping Chase Claypool can be a bigger weapon after a full offseason with Chicago’s playbook.
The No. 1 thing going for Fields and his teammates, though, will be their increased comfort in offensive coordinator Luke Getsy’s scheme. That alone should allow for progress. An improved passing attack should also open up more running lanes for Fields.
Either way, Fields established himself both as a dual-threat quarterback and the most fantasy-relevant Bears player in a long time.”
Fields was in the top 10 in fantasy points last season. Chicago added some new weapons that could help him improve on those numbers.
theathletic.com
www.nbcsportschicago.com
