Bears' Justin Fields Criticized by Insiders for 'Delayed Vision' and 'Lack of Feel'

The Chicago Bears will be one of the most fascinating teams in the NFL this offseason as they presumably choose between continuing to trust Justin Fields as the franchise quarterback or selecting a new signal-caller with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft.

Fields brings plenty to the table as a dual-threat playmaker who has taken strides this season, but Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune noted there are still some concerns as he finishes his third year in the league.

"Fields is seen as overly hesitant on throws across the middle and suffering from what one league source labeled 'delayed vision'—not getting his eyes to open targets with proper timing and rhythm and instead allowing defensive backs added time to react," Wiederer wrote.

He also noted another source pointed to "lack of feel" and ability to throw into "open-enough" windows when he is in the pocket.

"I'd rather see him take more chances and watch his interception total go up—and play the game like Josh Allen—than see this," the source said. "He seems so gun-shy to throw the ball into any traffic."

Despite these concerns, Wiederer pointed to the improvement Fields has shown when it comes to that feel in the pocket this season. Continuing to make those strides will be important because he is already one of the best running quarterbacks in recent NFL history.

It isn't a stretch to suggest that improvement will continue considering he is still just 24 years old and has played under multiple head coaches and multiple offensive coordinators with a rotating cast of below-average weapons and questionable pieces along the offensive line in the early portion of his career.

Yet things are finally starting to look a bit different in Chicago this season with the addition of wide receiver DJ Moore, more of an emergence from tight end Cole Kmet, and some talented young offensive linemen in Darnell Wright, Teven Jenkins and Braxton Jones.

While the Bears won't make the playoffs, they are 7-5 in their last 12 games following an 0-4 start. Had they not blown double-digit leads to the Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns, they would be well on their way to the postseason.

The fans can feel the momentum and backed Fields during Sunday's win over the Atlanta Falcons:

The question now is whether the front office trusts that the development will continue into next season. If it does, it could use the No. 1 pick to draft Ohio State's Marvin Harrison Jr. to form quite the one-two punch with Moore.

Or it could trade the No. 1 pick for another haul after landing Moore, two first-rounders and two second-rounders from the Carolina Panthers last season. Carolina moved all that to select Alabama's Bryce Young, and USC's Caleb Williams may be an even better prospect who is worth more in a trade this year.

If the front office ultimately believes some of the concerns around Fields will be too much to overcome, it may decide to draft Williams and have a quarterback on a rookie contract as it looks to bolster the roster elsewhere.

It's not often a team that could finish 8-9 and not far outside the playoff picture has the No. 1 overall pick of the draft, and the decision may be to take advantage of this limited opportunity to reset the quarterback clock with the hope Williams or North Carolina's Drake Maye becomes the star signal-caller the Bears have long been searching for as an organization.

That would likely mean Fields would have to continue his development elsewhere.