Should Chicago contemplate buying and selling Justin Fields and drafting a QB?
The Chicago Bears are on the clock.
As the 2023 NFL Draft rapidly approaches, the Bears have a call to make on what they’ll do with the No. 1 decide. It is a possible franchise-altering choice that might form the path of the group for years to come back.
With a number of extremely touted quarterback prospects on this 12 months’s draft class, it’s potential Chicago might choose a QB with the highest decide. If they have been to take action, likelihood is the group would in return transfer Justin Fields, who’s simply 23 years previous and two years into his NFL profession.
Despite the Bears ending the 2022 marketing campaign with an NFL-worst 3–14 file, Fields remained a shiny spot on the group, throwing for two,242 yards, 17 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, whereas including a franchise-record 1,143 yards on the bottom and eight dashing touchdowns. In doing so, he turned simply the third QB in NFL historical past to prime the 1,000-yard dashing mark, becoming a member of Michael Vick and Lamar Jackson.
But is it potential the Bears would transfer on from Fields after such a promising sophomore marketing campaign?
According to a report from the Washington Post, a number of NFL normal managers got here away from the Senior Bowl with the impression that Chicago will commerce Fields.
Colin Cowherd supplied 4 the explanation why the Bears ought to transfer Fields and draft a quarterback on Tuesday’s airing of “The Herd.”
“One more season of average-to-bad, and you’ll get nothing for him,” Cowherd mentioned of how the Bears ought to view their scenario with Fields. “Secondly, the Bears have a defensive coach and a defensive culture, and they didn’t draft him; he’s not their guy. Third, Chicago probably won’t have the No. 1 pick for a while. I don’t think they’ll be good, but you’re not gonna be in this territory again. And four, you had Khalil Mack and Roquan Smith, and you couldn’t win games. You think Will Anderson is gonna come in and turn the franchise around? In an offensive-pivoting league where it’s hard to go on a 10-game losing streak, in a year the Packers were down and the Vikings and Lions defenses were atrocious, they lost 10 straight games.
“I feel it’s a must to contemplate calling Atlanta and saying, ‘we’ll offer you Justin Fields, give us your eighth decide,’ go get Bryce Young after which go get the second or third-best edge rusher.”
Cowherd later discussed how he likes Fields, but that he’s not in the echelon of a budding young quarterback like Trevor Lawrence. Instead, Cowherd compared Fields’ current situation to that of Trey Lance, in that he’ll have success if all the pieces are put around him. He also expressed doubt over whether the Bears can surround Fields with the needed pieces and how the team’s offensive line struggles are a bit overblown – referencing PFF ranking Chicago’s offensive line 14th in the sport last season.
Despite Fields’ record-setting rushing numbers, the Bears finished the 2022 campaign with one of the worst offenses in the NFL. They averaged 130.5 passing yards (last in NFL), 177.3 rushing yards (first), 307.8 total yards (28th) and 19.2 points (23rd) per game.
Chicago traded the No. 20 and No. 164 picks in the 2021 NFL Draft and its 2022 first- and fourth-rounder to the New York Giants for the No. 11 pick in the 2021 draft to select Fields, a two-year starter out of Ohio State.
Fields appeared in 12 games in his rookie season (2021), making 10 starts. In that season, he totaled 1,870 passing yards, seven passing touchdowns, 10 interceptions and a 73.2 passer rating, completing 58.9% of his passes. On the ground, Fields racked up 420 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.
Chicago is 9-25 during the last two seasons.
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