Ohio State Football: Are the Bears really committed to Justin Fields?
By Ryan Stano
Former Ohio State football player Justin Fields was a first-round pick back in the 2021 NFL Draft after playing great for the Buckeyes. In fact, the Chicago Bears traded up to get him with the 11th overall pick. That’s how much they believed in his skills at the time. They thought he could be their franchise quarterback.
Two seasons later and the Bears have the number one pick in the 2023 Draft. There was a report that they will look to trade the pick because they don’t need one of the quarterbacks at the top. But It was also reported today that the Bears will still do work on the QBs coming out.
#Bears GM Ryan Poles said the plan is to have Justin Fields as their starting QB next season, but they will do their homework on this year’s quarterback class (which any good GM would do).
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) February 28, 2023
As you can see, they plan to have Fields as the starting QB. But Poles didn’t come right out and say definitively that the former Ohio State football player is their starting quarterback. Are the Bears truly committed to Fields moving forward?
The Chicago Bears might be giving Justin Fields one final year to prove he’s the guy.
If you look at Fields’ NFL career, his passing stats are pretty rough. He hasn’t been very good quite frankly. In two years, he has just 4,112 passing yards and 24 touchdowns to go along with 21 interceptions and a whopping 28 fumbles. He’s completing just 59.7% of his passes too.
But you also have to get the full context of the picture in Chicago. He has perhaps the worst cast around him when it comes to receivers and offensive linemen. He’s been sacked 91 times already in two years. His leading receiver has been a tight end. He just doesn’t have any playmakers.
Fields compensated with that by running wild a year ago. He ran it 160 times for 1,143 yards and 8 touchdowns. His rushing makes him one of the most dangerous dual-threat quarterbacks in the entire league. Now the Bears are finally in a position to help him.
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By trading the number one pick, they can give Fields the support he needs around him to be a better passer and a better quarterback. This is the year to find out if he’s a franchise guy. If they give him a little bit of help, I have confidence Fields can be a star.