Wearing a glove on his right (throwing) hand and fighting some weakness and pain, Bears quarterback Justin Fields went through an extensive throwing session Friday for the first time since dislocating his right thumb Oct. 15 against the Vikings.
Five days after coach Matt Eberflus ruled out Fields for the game Sunday against the Saints, the Bears listed him as doubtful. Since Eberflus became coach, the Bears never have had a player listed as doubtful suit up to play.
Undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent is expected to start his third consecutive game.
Fields said his grip strength isn’t yet where it needs to be, which Eberflus has said is a prerequisite for him to play. Wearing a glove while practicing in limited fashion helped Fields’ weakened grip.
‘‘[Grip strength] is not fully back, no,’’ Fields said at his locker in his first comments since his injury. ‘‘And there’s, of course, still a little bit of pain. . . . I’ve been preparing like I’m going to play. Just meetings, walkthroughs, just been locked in.’’
Fields knows what he needs to see to be ready.
‘‘Just if I’m gonna be able to make all the throws,’’ he said. ‘‘And be able to withstand hits and stuff like that during the game.’’
Fields, who won’t know how sore he’ll feel from the throwing session until Saturday, has a chance to return when the Bears host the Panthers on Thursday. In that game, the Bears will face quarterback Bryce Young, whom the Panthers selected with the No. 1 overall pick general manager Ryan Poles traded to them when he committed to Fields for the 2023 season.
‘‘It’s just going to be day-by-day, to be honest with you,’’ Fields said. ‘‘I’ve been progressing each and every day, but we’ll see.’’
Fields said that original MRI exams showed he wouldn’t need surgery, which was a relief. The Bears decided against putting him on injured reserve after the game against the Vikings, which would have forced him to miss at least four games. The game against the Panthers will be the fourth since he was hurt.
If Fields misses the game Thursday, he’d have another 10 days to get ready for the Lions.
‘‘That’s really depending on Justin, where his pain tolerance is when he throws and then also the functionality of it, where it goes from there,’’ Eberflus said. ‘‘It’s day-to-day. And then the trainers, where the trainers say he is, and we work through it and look at it as a coaching staff and say: ‘Hey, this is where he is. He’s accurate. Looks good. Everything looks on point.’ ’’
Fields said the injury, which he suffered when his thumb hit the ground as he threw the ball away on what was ruled a sack, didn’t hurt at first. It wasn’t until he looked down that he grew concerned.
‘‘When you see your thumb in a position that it’s not supposed to be in . . . ,’’ he said. ‘‘And then when they popped it back in place, it didn’t hurt that bad. But then after all that happened, the swelling and stuff started to kick in.’’
Receiver Darnell Mooney said Fields’ throws Friday looked normal.
‘‘Definitely has some zip on it,’’ Mooney said. ‘‘Definitely seems regular to me. It’s all about the feel, though.’’
Fields ‘‘looked pretty good,’’ safety Eddie Jackson said.
‘‘I know he’s not playing this weekend, right?’’ he said.
Jackson was told Fields was doubtful.
‘‘He looked good,’’ Jackson said.
Mooney, who is one of Fields’ closest friends on the team, said Fields being able to practice perked him up.
‘‘Happy to see him moving around, happy to see a smile on his face,’’ Mooney said. ‘‘At first [during the recovery], I didn’t know how he was taking it. . . . But I talked to him, [and] he said he was doing fine. He was just dealing with it.’’
Fields said he has been impressed with Bagent, who is 1-1 as a starter since taking his place.
‘‘Tyson’s been great,’’ Fields said. ‘‘Like I said — what, in training camp? — from the day he stepped in, he’s come in and worked hard. The first game, against the Raiders, he played great. He played his butt off.
‘‘He just wants to learn each and every day, and he knows he can come to me for any questions and I’ll help him out. But he’s been great. He’s been leading the guys. He’s ready to go.’’
When Fields will be ready to go is another question.
