Bears head coach Matt Eberflus wants a quarterback who plays his best football in crunch time.
Asked today what he’s looking for in the Bears’ franchise quarterback, Eberflus talked primarily about getting the most out of his quarterback in the biggest situations.
“I look at situations,” Eberflus said. “I look at the guys that can operate third down, two-minute and the end of the game situations. That, to me, is a separator. And then you look at toughness. Toughness for a quarterback really is about the mental toughness to be able to stand in the pocket and deliver the ball, and then also have the discernment to be able to move out of the pocket and create when it’s necessary. They come in all different shapes and sizes. But it’s always been fun to evaluate those guys.”
That doesn’t necessarily sound like Justin Fields, who has not been great in late-game situations in his career. But Eberflus said the Bears may still have Fields as their starter.
“If Justin’s back we’ll have a plan in place for that, if there’s a new quarterback we’ll have a plan in place for that,” Eberflus said.
Realistically, it’s hard to believe the Bears will pass on a quarterback when they have the first overall pick in a quarterback-rich draft. When the Bears need to come back in 2024, it’s more likely that Caleb Williams will be leading the offense in the fourth quarter.
