It appears that safety Jaquan Brisker isn’t the only person who thinks quarterback Justin Fields is ready to return to the Bears starting lineup.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that Fields is expected to start against the Lions this Sunday. Fields has missed the last four games with a right thumb injury that impacted his ability to grip the ball, but practiced all of last week and on Monday.
Those practices were limited sessions and head coach Matt Eberflus said on Monday that he wants to see Fields go through team drills on Wednesday before making any official determinations on his status.
Returning this week would give Fields seven games to show what he can do before the year is out. The Bears own the Panthers’ first-round pick as well as their own, so they are likely to have two high picks in the first round and that makes them a likely landing spot for a quarterback. Fields may not be able to change that, but a good showing down the stretch could help open up options elsewhere in the league when and if the Bears decide to move on.
