INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (670 The Score) -- When new general manager Ryan Poles was hired by the Bears in January, he had already studied quarterback Justin Fields plenty.
As Poles dove deeper into the Fields files, he saw a player with dynamic abilities who also needs better support around him. Now one month into the job in Chicago, Poles has come to appreciate the 22-year-old Fields as he's gotten to know him personally.
"There's something about the guy, the stoic kind of feel you get from him," Poles said Tuesday at the NFL Combine. "It's serious, locked in, focused and he's ready to go. I think there's a high ceiling. It's just putting him position to succeed and seeing how high that ceiling is."
The No. 11 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Fields played in 12 games last season, starting 10. He completed 58.9% of his passes for 1,870 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions with a 73.2 quarterback rating. The Bears were 2-8 in Fields' starts and 6-11 on the season.
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The Bears fired general manager Ryan Pace and coach Matt Nagy in January, hiring Poles to lead their front office and then new head coach Matt Eberflus. Fields was present on Jan. 31 when the Bears introduced Poles and Eberflus at Halas Hall.
The Bears believe that part of Fields' improvement can come through better supporting him on offense.
"You can see it through different flashes of tape," Poles said. "I think there was a couple plays in like the San Francisco game, him moving out of the pocket, throwing with control and his base is set. A lot of it is fundamental. But just allowing him to make those throws that he's really good at.
"Wherever he has struggled, it's just cleaning that area up. And we'll see if we can close the gap and get him to a place where we can win a lot of football games."
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago's sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
