Give Justin Fields the respect he deserves

With the Bears having the first pick in this year’s draft, there has already been chatter of whether or not they will move off of Fields and pick one of the premier quarterback prospects in this year’s draft.

While the Bears GM, Ryan Poles, backed Justin Fields in his end-of-season presser, he didn’t completely rule out using their pick on a new QB. When a reporter posed the question to Poles, he said he’d have to be “absolutely blown away” by a prospect to replace Fields as the ‘franchise’ guy.

This isn’t exactly a death sentence for Fields, but it does mean Poles isn’t ruling it out. As a GM, Poles would be ill-advised to rule out any possible moves with the number one pick.

Nonetheless, it cannot be understated just how much potential Fields has, particularly after what he showed in 2022. He’s proven himself to be one of the premier running quarterbacks in the league this past season. And if given legitimate talent on offense, we could see him become one of the top-10 quarterbacks in the league.

Why Fields is so good

Let’s get his running ability out of the way first. Fields wasn’t known for his running ability when he got drafted in 2020, but it was apparent this year. He led all quarterbacks in rushing yards with 1,143 yards, which was 379 yards higher than the runner-up Lamar Jackson.

Fields also put up 7.1 yards per attempt including 7 rushing touchdowns in a 6 game span. Not to mention, he set an NFL record for most quarterback rushing yards in a game with 178, became the first NFL quarterback to rush for 140 yards in consecutive games, and became the first quarterback in the Super Bowl era to have multiple rushing TDs of over 60 yards in a season. Hell, he had more rushing yards than Christian McCaffrey this year.

Needless to say, Fields is an electrifying player with his feet and has solidified himself as one of the best running quarterbacks in the league. While the same can’t be said for his passing ability, it’s hard to put the blame solely on him given how prolific he was in college. 

People are quick to forget just how good a passer Fields was at Ohio State. In 2019, Fields threw for 41 TDs and only 3 picks, along with 9.2 yards per pass attempt, 3,273 yards and an efficient 67.2 completion percentage. Even with an injury in his final year, Fields upped his completion percentage to an elite 70.2 with 9.3 yards per pass attempt.

Based on his production, Fields was a highly accurate passer that pushed the ball down the field and didn’t make mistakes. He was arguably one of the most prolific quarterbacks in college football during his career and while it hasn’t translated in the league, can you blame him? 

For pretty much all of Fields’ young career his best pass-catching options have been tight end Cole Kmet and receiver Darnell Mooney. Both these players have talent but are young and far from finished products. Since he got drafted, Chicago has surrounded Fields with below-average weapons and a mediocre offensive line that has continued to put him in harm’s way.

Justin Fields was the most sacked quarterback this year at 55, and if he wasn’t so elusive with his feet, that number would be much higher. Without reliable pass-protection and adequate receivers who can get open, it’s unreasonable to expect much more than we’ve gotten from Fields thus far. 

The Bears should invest around Fields

While the league has growingly expected young quarterbacks to come onto the scene balling out, there is much more that goes into a quarterback’s success. Young quarterbacks naturally go through growing pains in their first couple seasons and these mistakes look much worse when surrounded by a lackluster supporting cast.

Take Trevor Lawrence for example. He was the number one pick in his draft and expected to take the league by storm. But, in his rookie year, he had one of the worst coaching staffs in NFL history, the 24th ranked offensive line and DJ Chark as his number one weapon.

Inevitably, Lawrence had probably the worst season of his life. He threw for a sub-60 completion percentage, 12-17 touchdown to interception ratio and an abysmal 71.9 passer rating. Due to this, Lawrence looked like a surefire bust and many counted him out. But, in the offseason, the Jaguars committed to building around Lawrence.

Jacksonville brought in Super Bowl Champion head coach Doug Pederson, two high-priced wideouts in Christian Kirk and Zay Jones, and beefed up their offensive line with 5-time Pro Bowler Brandon Scherff. As a result, the Jags had a complete turnaround, going 9-7 along with a big-time playoff win. During this turnaround, Lawrence got his completion percentage up to 66.3, improved his TD-INT ratio to 25-8, and increased his passer rating to 95.2.

Having legitimate receiving options and reliable pass-protection is everything for a young signal caller. If Fields is given the same treatment this offseason, taking into account his elite running ability, who knows the type of jump he could make in year three. 

To surmise, yes Justin Fields has had a rough first two years in the league, but it isn’t all on his shoulders. The Bears have been deep into a rebuild since Fields got there and haven’t had the resources to bring in talent.

Now, they have eight draft picks this year including the number one pick. Not to mention, they lead the league in cap space with a whopping $110.8M and picked up a big-name receiver in Chase Claypool this season. With the Bears roster expected to be much improved this season, it would be quite premature of the Bears to move off such a promising young dual-threat quarterback.

From what he’s shown as a passer in college and runner in the league, Fields has earned an opportunity to show what he can do with actual weapons and protection. Who knows, if the Bears get the right pieces, he might just shock the league and bring the Bears back to the postseason.