I think it’s safe to say the Bears have been really disappointing lately. How Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace still have jobs is beyond me. This may be their last chance to make a splash, but they could buy themselves some time if they make the right decision about the quarterback.
It is the obvious choice, and it’s why they traded up to draft Justin Fields in the first place. Fields is the best quarterback on the roster, no competition. Signing Andy Dalton in the offseason and failing to trade Nick Foles has made the fans even more restless for a change. Not to mention Fields can run a 4.32 and is far more athletic than his counterparts. Another important factor here is arm strength. Fields showed at Ohio State that he can make the throws an NFL quarterback needs to make on a regular basis. Having receivers with playmaking ability also helped, and hopefully the Bears will let Fields sling it to the solid group of pass catchers they have, as opposed to keeping him confined in the system like Mitch Tribisky was.
Now to be fair, Fields is better than Tribisky, so maybe that will open up more opportunities in the offense. But the big question is, will the coaching staff allow him the chance to do so? In Matt Nagy’s first year as head coach, there was so much creativity that he brought over from Kansas City. Where did all of that go?
They have a similar receiving core like KC in terms of speed with Allen Robinson being more of a possession threat. Darnell Mooney in his second year and the new editions in Damire Byrd and Marquise Goodwin add the ability to take the top off the defense. Rookie Dazz Newsome also has a high ceiling, but is currently sidelined for the next 4-6 months due to surgery for a broken collarbone. They also have a solid young tight end in Cole Kmet and a steady stable of running backs with the new addition of Damien Williams. The blueprint here is similar to what the Chiefs have now that they have a great quarterback.
With no Aaron Rodgers, the division is wide open for the first time in a while. The Bears would be smart to take advantage of the opportunity they have in front of them and make the most of the good roster on offense. The other starting QBs in the division right now are Jordan Love, Jared Goff, and Kirk Cousins. That is not a lot of competition, especially since Jordan Love did not play last year. The windy city has blown a window of opportunity wide open that will not stay that way for long.
Cut it loose Chicago, have some fun out there.