(670 The Score) While the Bears’ focus on defensive players and their roster as a whole in the NFL Draft last weekend was understandable, it could leave second-year quarterback Justin Fields in a difficult situation in the 2022 season.
The Bears have done little to help Fields on the offensive side of the ball this offseason, with receiver Allen Robinson leaving in free agency and Chicago addressing the void with low-cost, unproven players. The Bears added to their offensive line in free agency, but it wasn’t with big-ticket spending.
In the draft, they used a pair of second-round picks on defensive backs, passing up the opportunity to nab a high-upside receiver.
It all makes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wonder what the narrative will be next fall. If the Bears offense struggles – like many expect it to – will the conversation include context of what he’s working with or will Fields take the brunt of the criticism?
“What have they done to support and develop and grow around their franchise quarterback?” Florio said on the Mully & Haugh Show on Tuesday morning. “And if they haven’t done enough and we get to football and Justin Fields is struggling, is the narrative going to be, ‘Well, they didn’t do enough to help him.’ Or is it going to be, ‘Hey, Justin Fields stinks.’ And that’s what I’m concerned about.
“Once it’s time to play games and we’re in a different mindset altogether, we know when football season starts, all the stuff we talked about from February to September kind of goes away and we focus on the games that are in front of us. And if a guy is playing well, he gets praise. And if he’s not playing well, he gets criticized. And there’s more pressure and scrutiny on quarterbacks than any other position. And I’m just concerned that we’re going to get to the football season and Fields is going to struggle and the narrative is going to be, ‘Man, they really blew it there, they should fire Ryan Pace again.’ Not, ‘Well, the new regime really hasn’t moved heaven and earth to try to get the most out of Justin Fields.’”
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First-year Bears general manager Ryan Poles has praised Fields’ potential and also recently watched film with him on prospects ahead of the NFL Draft, explaining the organization’s mindset on acquiring new talent entering the big event.
“Look, I know that some folks get really triggered when this point is raised, but you got new management now of the football operation,” Florio said. “How motivated are they, how determined are they, how committed are they to getting the most out of the guy that the last regime brought in? That was my concern last year when they traded up to get Justin Fields. You better give these guys time to let this guy develop, otherwise you’ll get an awkward situation when there’s a new regime. And what we’re seeing from the new regime so far is they’re not as committed to making the team better around the quarterback as some of these other teams are that have young quarterbacks.”