Here is why Justin Fields could be in for a Joe Burrow type of year 2
We have seen some incredible leaps from a couple of young stars at the quarterback position in recent years. Josh Allen, Joe Burrow and Jalen Hurts are examples of guys that got to slower starts but burst onto the scene in their sophomore year. The rookie campaign of the Chicago Bear's 2021 first-round draft pick Justin Fields was full of ups and downs. He did show a lot of promises and some great poise at some time, but he struggled a lot in other games. In his defence, he was thrown into the fire extremely quickly with very little to no help surrounding him. Let's take a look back at his rookie year and as to what we might expect from him.
What we saw
After playing sparingly in the first week of the season, Fields got his debut after Andy Dalton injured himself in week 2 versus the Bengals. It wasn't a great opening game for Fields but it was to be expected under the circumstances. He did manage to do just enough to steal a win. Fields then showed some flashes of brilliance in week 4 against the Detroit Lions. The moment we all waited for happened in week 8 against the San Francisco 49ers: Justin Fields showed us his athletic ability. He ran for 103 yards against what was a great defensive front. He also scored one of the most incredible touchdown run on 4th and 1 where he faked out half a dozen defenders. Another great game for Justin was on Sunday Night Football at Lambeau Field versus the Packers. He had 298 combined yards in route to his team scoring 30 points against one of the better teams in the NFL. While it wasn't a perfect start for the exciting 22-year-old kid, it was full of great plays, and he showed brilliance on a lot of occasions.
What we can expect
As mentioned earlier, the Georgia native can for sure be in line for a sophomore bump in 2022. He needs to clean up the mistake and he needs to continue to build up his chemistry with the receivers. I believe that the fact that the new coaching staff clearly mentioned that Field is the guy will help him gain even more confidence. He will be able to continue his progression as a player and as a leader as well. Let's not forgot that Justin Fields was competing for a national championship on the biggest stage not too long ago. I think is it safe to say that he thrives in those big situations, and he certainly has the «it» factor that all GMs are searching for in their quarterback. The future is great for Justin Fields and we will have a chance to see why in 2022.
