Chicago Bears tight end Robert Tonyan did quarterback Justin Fields no favors in the first quarter on Sunday afternoon.
With 4:08 remaining in the first quarter in Cleveland against the Browns, Fields unfurled a beautifully thrown deep-ball down the sideline that had Tonyan caught the pass in stride would have been an easy touchdown for the Bears.
Unfortunately for the Bears, and for Fields, Tonyan bobbled the ball and it instead fell harmlessly to the grass, incomplete.
How did Robert Tonyan drop this?pic.twitter.com/mNPNK5YPja
— Action Network (@ActionNetworkHQ) December 17, 2023
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Despite Tonyan's drop, Fields put together a strong first half against the Browns, passing for 56 yards and a touchdown, while adding five rushing yards.
Meanwhile, the dropped pass was Tonyan's lone target through the game's first 27 minutes on Sunday afternoon. Tonyan, the former Packers tight end, has caught just seven passes for 58 yards this season.
The rest of this season seems to effectively be an audition for Fields, both in terms of potentially convincing the Bears that he can be the long-term solution at quarterback rather than investing a top draft pick in a top quarterback such as Caleb Williams or Drake Maye as well as for 31 other teams if Chicago believes it needs an upgrade.
Through Fields' first 10 weeks of the season, the 24-year-old has completed 63.5 percent of his passes for 1,810 yards with 13 touchdowns to six interceptions while rushing for 458 yards and two more touchdowns.
Whether the Bears decide to move forward with Fields, or trade him for draft capital to build around Williams or Maye this spring promises to be one of the more fascinating storylines of the upcoming NFL offseason. But, throws like the pass Tonyan dropped show that Fields still offers plenty of potential as a passer.
