Chicago Bears notes: Don’t expect Justin Fields, offense to air it out anytime soon

LAKE FOREST – With a young team and a young quarterback, some organizations are more concerned with development than wins and losses. Matt Eberflus’ 2022 Bears are one of those teams.

But there is no cut-and-dried line between rebuilding and trying to win games. Every NFL coach will say his goal is to win every single game. So the challenge becomes developing those young players while also trying to put the team in the best possible position to win each week.

The Bears’ game plan on offense through these first five weeks has been run heavy. Quarterback Justin Fields has not attempted more than 22 passes in any game.

So how can the Bears evaluate a QB who isn’t throwing the football much?

“You don’t just go out and say you’re going to throw it 50 times. You don’t just say you’re going to run it 50 times every single week,” offensive coordinator Luke Getsy said. “That’s not real in this league. Everyone is too good. Coaches are too good; players are too good. The progress is putting a plan together and guys executing that plan.”

This Bears’ coaching staff is trying to win games. Right now. That is apparent in the type of game plan the coaches are concocting each week. Fields has attempted 88 passes through five games. The offense has 160 rushing attempts. With a mobile quarterback, those numbers are a little bit skewed because Fields is more likely to take off running than he is to throw the ball out of bounds. Fields accounts for 42 of those 160 carries – some designed runs, but many scrambles.

The opponent and the flow of the game often dictate how Getsy, or any coordinator, calls a game.

Getsy noted Tuesday at Halas Hall that the Vikings’ pass rush closes in on the QB quickly. There just isn’t as much time to connect on a deep ball as there might be against other teams. Instead, the Bears had to be more selective with when to pick their spots – such as the 39-yard completion that receiver Darnell Mooney caught with one hand.

“We knew we had to do that in order to get explosive plays,” Getsy said. “So yes, I don’t want to say [deep passing] was more of a part of our plan, but it was definitely something we knew we had to do.”

General manager Ryan Poles will have to factor all of this into his evaluation of Fields. The coaching staff isn’t going to change what it’s doing, not when the team is staying in close games and, for the most part, giving itself a chance to win.

Johnson’s return: Cornerback Jaylon Johnson’s return appears imminent. Johnson, who has missed three games with a quad injury, returned to full participation in practice this week.

With a short week ahead of a Thursday game, the Bears’ practices were walk-throughs, so his participation is an estimate. The Bears seem confident he should be returning soon.

“That’s another able body and another veteran body, another really good player that helps us out,” Bears defensive coordinator Alan Williams said. “And it’s another guy that’s been in the battles and communicates on the field to help the other guys out. So I can’t overstate how much it means to the defense to have him ready to go.”

Adams to IR: The Bears placed linebacker Matt Adams on injured reserve with a calf injury Tuesday. Adams injured his calf in Sunday’s game against Minnesota. Moving to IR means he will miss at least four games.

That likely means more snaps at linebacker for veteran Joe Thomas, who started two games while Adams was out with a hamstring injury.

Harry update: The Bears activated receiver N’Keal Harry from IR on Monday. He missed about two months after having ankle surgery in August. He returned to practice for the first time last week.

“He’s still got a ways to go as far as being ready to rock and roll, but mentally he’s been locked in,” Getsy said. “He’s been in the meetings and stuff, so mentally, he’s a really sharp guy.”

The Bears could use some help at receiver. Mooney leads the team with 10 catches for 173 yards in five games. No other wide receiver has more than six catches.