The comparisons surrounding Chicago Bears’ rookie quarterback Justin Fields have been flying left and right since the moment he was selected 11th overall in April’s NFL Draft. You can add one more to the list from one of his own teammates, wide receiver Jon’Vea Johnson, who spent time with Pro Bowl QB Dak Prescott in Dallas for two years. When comparing the two young quarterbacks, Johnson had this to say to Adam Jahns of The Athletic:
“Justin’s just a little more athletic than Dak, or a lot more I guess you could say, a lot faster. When he gets running out of the pocket, he can keep a play alive…A younger guy and faster. His arm might be a little stronger than Dak’s too, that’s a weapon right there.”
A faster, stronger, more athletic Dak Prescott? It’s fair to say that Johnson’s realization of his own words saying ‘that’s a weapon right there’ is correct. The Bears have not had that caliber of quarterback in the history of the franchise. Fields’ preseason performances have left a lot of fans clamoring for the rookie to make an appearance in Week 1, however head coach Matt Nagy is sticking to his guns and giving veteran Andy Dalton the start on Sunday Night Football against the Rams. Through his three preseason appearances, Fields went 30/49 for 276 yards, 3 touchdowns and no interceptions, while adding 92 yards on the ground for a 96.98 passer rating.
Justin Fields final preseason stats:
• 30/49
• 276 pass yards
• 92 rush yards
• 3 TD
• 0 INT
• 96.98 passer rating pic.twitter.com/B2dY9F0UfY— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) August 29, 2021
The numbers aren’t entirely eyepopping, but they’re still very respectable for a rookie QB (even if they came against mostly backups). On top of that, seeing the offense stall out with Dalton under center has definitely contributed to fans starting to get antsy about Fields making his regular season debut sooner rather than later.
While we won’t be able to immediately verify if Johnson’s suspicions are correct about what the Bears have in their QB of the future, it’s only a matter of time until we see Fields’ athleticism on display with the starters.
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