GM Ryan Poles has kept his options open on what he’ll do at quarterback. The Chicago Bears GM continues to insist Justin Fields is the planned starter for 2023, but he will evaluate every quarterback in the upcoming draft class. If one blows him away in interviews and drills, he might consider a change. However, almost everybody believes the Bears will stay the course with Fields. He improved considerably in 2022. Another year in the same offense with more talent around him via free agency and the draft could further unlock his potential.
However, there is an alternative reason that Poles might be comfortable sticking with Fields. He might believe the time to take a swing at quarterback hasn’t arrived yet. Albert Breer of the MMQB dropped some fascinating insight on this during an interview on the Rich Eisen Show. It is believed that Poles is willing to give Fields more time because he likes the young quarterback and is willing to wait for 2024. There is a widespread belief that QB class will be far stronger, headlined by two studs in USC’s Caleb Williams and North Carolina’s Drake Make.
By trading down from #1, the Bears should be able to accumulate enough draft capital to possibly go after one of them if Fields doesn’t work out.
Keeping Justin Fields helps avoid a 2011 situation.
Most experts agreed that the best QB prospects had stayed in college that season. One was Andrew Luck of Stanford, and the other was Robert Griffin III of Baylor. Even so, several teams picking in the top 15 decided they couldn’t afford to wait on them. Carolina took Cam Newton at #1 overall. That worked out fine. However, Jake Locker at #8, Blaine Gabbert at #10, and Christian Ponder at #12 all crashed and burned with their respective teams. While nobody is saying the 2023 class will be that disastrous, there are enough question marks about it to give Poles pause.
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He knows picking a quarterback in the 1st round will officially start the clock on his GM tenure. Nothing fast-tracks somebody to the unemployment line faster than whiffing on a quarterback. Mark Hatley was fired less than three years after taking Cade McNown in 1999. Ryan Pace’s demise became virtually guaranteed when he took Mitch Trubisky over Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson. Poles doesn’t want to fall into that same trap. He wants to be absolutely sure about a guy become taking his swing. That is why the Bears seem content to wait it out with Justin Fields.
Ralph Law — You actually have something there, Ralph. The only thing that I’d like even better (although I admit, it has less chance of occurring, than your suggestion) is to bring in some former top players at their positions to Halas Hall to provide the Bears’ players with the “trade secrets.” If you ever saw former Cleveland Browns’ OT, Joe Thomas; or, former Carolina Panthers’ WR Steve Smith Sr., “talk shop” with young players — you’d see some accelerated learning taking place. The Bears had at least one such player in OT, Jason Peters — but the new regime… Read more »
A better idea which would help Fields. Go hire the most capable set of offensive coaches available or make offers you. cannot refuse. Every player who has played in the NFL will confirm coaching is 60 -70% of the game, and there are only a few elite coaches in each category.
No matter how much you attempt to speak it into existence, THE BEARS ARE NOT TRADING FIELDS for a 185lb-190lb boy !!!!
@Thomas Gena you get it. The Bears are drafting Young and trading Fields. Young is the superior prospect ala Russell Wilson and Mahomes. In addition to the stats you listed that prove Fields is garbage, the Bears get two additional years of a rookie contract with a better QB in Young. That is huge for a team that is basically at ground zero today and needs to attract FAs with long-term deals. People on this board need to get their head out of the garbage bin and start rooting for what’s best. Better prospect, two more years of a rookie… Read more »
Let’s set the Justin Fields record straight: His 2020 roster at OSU looked like a team that could compete in the NFL, today. Fields threw TD passes to Garrett Wilson (6); Chris Olave (7); Jameson Williams (2); and Jaxson Smith-Njigba (1). Last year, Wilson, Olave and Williams were selected at #10, #11 and #12 in the 2022 NFL draft; and this year, Smith-Njigba is a sure-fire first-round pick. His o-line had the “familiar” names: Nicholas Petit-Frere, Wyatt Davis, Josh Myers, Harry Miller, and Thayer Munford; as well as the soon-to-be familiar names: Paris Johnson Jr. and Dawand Jones. Essentially, JF1… Read more »