The conversation around Justin Fields and the Chicago Bears should probably be easier than it is. It is fair for fans to think that the team did not do well enough in getting him the right supporting cast. It is also fair to admit that Fields has not been playing well himself. Once you establish both things to be true, the conversation gets a lot easier.
With that in mind, this will be looking at where Fields has struggled this season. It is not all his fault, and he is not a bust because of it, but Justin Fields needs to improve in these areas if the Chicago Bears want to win more games
4. Justin Fields long Time to Throw
So far this season, Justin Fields leads the NFL in time to throw, with 3.42 seconds. According to PFF, that is even a good bit longer than what he was doing last season. Some of this can be explained because the Chicago Bears run bootlegs and plays that require Fields to roll out and take time to throw. It also can be waiting for his low-end receivers to get open.
Justin Fields' 3.42 second average time to throw is .2 seconds longer than any other QB in the NFL and .36 seconds longer than his rookie season
— Mike Renner (@PFF_Mike) October 14, 2022
At the same time, some of this comes down to Fields not being ready to pull the trigger, or seeing a play, but not having the anticipation to throw him open, or throw it to a spot and let his player come down with it.
Only Mitch Trubisky has a lower completion rate when he is throwing the football in 2.5 seconds or less. Fields has never been a quick game passer, but he has to start to hit some layups, because right now all he can do is launch threes, and that is not quite a viable winning strategy either. When he holds the ball for over 2.5 seconds his turnover-worthy play rate goes up as well.
For Fields, his focus needs to be on timing, trusting himself, and getting the football out quicker.