With only seven games left in their 2023 season, the 3-7 Chicago Bears still have plenty to play for down the stretch. While Bears fans keep a close eye on the Carolina Panthers and watch on as Matt Eberflus coaches for his job, various key pieces of Chicago's offense are playing to prove that they should be a part of the franchise's future. And that spotlight will be shining brighter on quarterback Justin Fields than just about any other players around the league.

Following a month-long absence due to a thumb injury, both Justin Fields, and Bears starting running back Khalil Herbert are both off of the injury report and planning to return to the field on Sunday versus the NFC North-leading Detroit Lions, per the X/Twitter account of Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

The returns of Fields and Herbert will be welcome additions to a Bears offense that has sputtered for the majority of the season. It is worth noting, however, that the last time Fields and Herbert both started, the Bears scored 40 points, their season high, in a road win over the Washington Commanders, their first victory of the season. This was the game where Herbert went down with an ankle injury, but not before running the ball ten times for 76 yards.

These last seven games of the season may not be enough to save Matt Eberflus' job, but they could be all that the Bears brass needs to see in order to make a decision on Justin Fields' status as the Bears QB1 in 2024. With a top three pick increasingly likely given the state of Carolina's season, the Bears could end up with their choice of the top quarterbacks in the Draft, including Caleb Williams, who is widely viewed as a generational prospect. However, if Fields manages to leave little doubt that he's a legitimate building block, Marvin Harrison Jr., a generational prospect in his own right, could be the way Chicago goes.