Justin Fields proves he’s the guy

The Chicago Bears finished the 2022 season with a record of 3-14, which culminated into a 10-game losing streak. But there’s still reasons to be optimistic about the future, including a boatload of salary cap space, the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft and the emergence of quarterback Justin Fields.

Here at Bears Wire, we’re going position by position through the 2022 Bears and grading every player. With Fields at the helm, quarterback seems to be stabilized.

Justin Fields – B+

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Season stats: 192-of-318 (60.4%), 2,242 yards, 17 touchdowns, 11 interceptions; 160 rushes, 1,143 yards, 8 touchdowns (15 games)

Fields’ ability to succeed in this season’s playoffs despite not-so-ideal circumstances is remarkable. But then you factor in his star quality and making NFL history on an almost-weekly basis, it’s unreal that he was able to have such a profound impact on this Bears offense. It was also evident in two of the games that he missed. Fields established himself as one of the NFL’s most exciting young players with his elite speed and impressive athleticism. He set the NFL regular-season record for most rushing yards in a game by a quarterback — and he fell just 64 yards shy of breaking Lamar Jackson’s single-season rushing record. Fields is still learning how to be a better passer. Fields can make a significant improvement by addressing the weaknesses at receiver and on the offensive line.

Trevor Siemian: C

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Season stats: 15-of 26 (57.7%), 184 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 intercept (2 games).

We didn’t see much of Siemian this season, which is always a good thing. Siemian was only in two games this season. He also started in Week 12 against Jets as a replacement for injured Fields. He sustained an oblique injury in warmups, but he played the whole game. He was forced to have season-ending surgery for oblique injuries. In Siemian’s lone action of the season, he completed 14-of-25 passes for 179 yards with one touchdown and one interception for a 75.3 passer rating.

Nathan Peterman: INCOMPLETE

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Season stats: 14-of-25 (56%), 139 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception (3 games)

Peterman spent the majority of the season on the Practice Squad, but was elevated to the active list in Week 11 after Fields was injured. Peterman remained a regular on the active roster throughout the season, even after Siemian’s season-ending surgery to his oblique. Peterman appeared in three games. He also played for the season finale against Minnesota Vikings, where Fields was injured at the hip. (Peterman split reps from Tim Boyle). Still, Peterman didn’t get enough reps to qualify for a grade, so he gets an incomplete.

Tim Boyle: INCOMPLETE

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Season stats: 2-of-8 (25%), 33 yard, 0 touchdowns and 2 interceptions (1 match)

After Siemian’s injury, the Bears signed Tim Boyle (Lions practice squad) on November 30. Boyle was on the practice team for only one game. He made his regular-season debut against Minnesota in the season finale, splitting reps with Peterman. It wasn’t pretty, as he completed just 25 percent of his passes and tossing two interceptions. But like with Peterman, there wasn’t a big enough sample size (i.e. He could not be graded for the entire game, as he was playing in a single match.

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Story originally appeared on Bears Wire

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