The Chicago Bears may already be looking at a change in quarterback despite an improvement from Justin Fields this season, Albert Breer has claimed.
The Chicago Bears find themselves in a pretty interesting situation ahead of the 2023 NFL season. After a very poor 2022 season, they are currently in possession of the #1 pick in this year’s NFL Draft, and in the vast majority of years, that means that they would be getting the best quarterback in the upcoming draft class.
However, they kind of already have their quarterback of the future already on the roster, as 2021 first-round draft pick (#11 overall) Justin Fields looked for large parts of the season as if he was going to be the man to take them forward and possibly end the curse that the Bears have had when it comes to finding quarterbacks.
GiveMeSport VIDEO OF THE DAY
At least that is what the numbers would tell you, as per Pro Football Reference, he made the moves in the right direction, with his pass completion rate, touchdown percentage and quarterback rating all moving up compared to 2021, whilst he also unlocked a new element of his game by becoming a major threat in the running game:
But despite those improvements, you can still make the argument that it’s time for the Bears to move off him, especially when you consider some of the other quarterbacks around the league and how competent they are by their second year (such as Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence, Justin Herbert and Lamar Jackson to name a few).
Justin Fields set to feel the heat this upcoming season?
So with that being said, there is still the possibility that the team might look to draft another quarterback this upcoming draft, especially given how highly rated some of the top quarterback talents are apparently set to be.
However, Albert Breer doesn’t believe that his job is necessarily under threat for this upcoming draft, but should he not take that big step forward in 2023, then by the time the 2024 NFL Draft comes around, that might be the time that the Bears start to looking at making a change.
Video: Albert Breer discusses possible moves for Chicago Bears at quarterback (starting at 6:57):
It does seem like the smart option for them to do, see if this improvement can be sustained, and especially if they can cash in on the #1 pick and grab a few more selections, they might be able to get the pieces around Fields to give him that final chance.
But either way, this is certainly going to be a ‘prove it’ year for Fields, and you have to wonder if that pressure might impact his play when push comes to shove.