Here’s what Luke Getsy said about Justin Fields at Bears training camp

The Chicago Bears wrapped up their second training camp practice Thursday, and of course, the most important thing on all Bears fans’ minds is the performance of Justin Fields.

It doesn’t matter that the real practices, the ones with pads, haven’t started yet. It doesn’t matter that Bears coaches are treating this ramp-up period like OTAs. All that matters is whether Fields looks like he’s improved since the end of last season, and according to offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, signs of that improvement are showing.

“It’s not one particular thing,” Getsy said Thursday. “I think it’s on a whole, when you see the guy who’s comfortable with the footwork, with the progressions, with the communication in the huddle. You guys see him using a lot more cadence in the first two days, so all that stuff I think has been fun.”

We all know Fields is overflowing with physical talent. That’s never been a question. But quarterbacks who rely solely on that physical ability and don’t spend time to work on the finer details of the position tend to be dreaded early-round busts. Fields isn’t trending in that direction, and that’s great news for Bears fans.

Getsy stressed the importance of rhythm and timing in Chicago’s passing game, and that requires buy-in from Fields to go the extra mile with his preparation.

“That’s pretty much 90% of what we do is that timing and rhythm and making sure that we have the ball where it’s supposed to be and when it’s supposed to be there,” Getsy said. “So we just keep drilling the heck out of it and then you take it to the team and 7-on-7 drills and then hopefully that carries over into your games.”

Justin Fields scorched the NFL with his rushing ability in 2022 and nearly broke Lamar Jackson’s single-season record for rushing yards by a quarterback. It was a remarkable individual performance for Fields, but the Chicago Bears won’t win many games with a quarterback who’s best known for his running ability. Fields must become a polished NFL passer, and with the improvements the Bears have made at receiver and along the offensive line, expectations are sky-high for the former first-round pick.

Fields is passing the early eyeball test. Once the pads go on next week, we’ll know just how far he’s come in the last few months.