Bears quarterback Justin Fields has been sacked on 19.3 percent of his dropbacks this season, by far the worst in the NFL. That needs to improve in a hurry.
Bears coach Matt Eberflus is confident it will improve, but he thinks it’s going to take time.
“It’s just pocket presence as he gets more experience,” Eberflus said, via the Chicago Sun-Times. “He did a nice job of riding the pocket a couple of times, staying in there and delivering the ball, for sure. We talked about those plays. . . . More experience on the job, and he’s going to get better at it.”
Fields got sacked too much last year -- 11.8 percent of his dropbacks, which was also the worst in the NFL -- but this year his pocket presence appears to be worse, not better. The top priority for the Bears this season is seeing Fields develop into a reliable franchise quarterback, but so far what they’re seeing is Fields taking far too many sacks.