Scott Polacek
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Featured Columnist IV
December 21, 2023
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The Chicago Bears are going to be fully under the spotlight this offseason.
If the Carolina Panthers finish with the worst record in the league, the Bears will land the No. 1 overall pick because they own the NFC South team’s first-round draft choice. That would mean Chicago had a quarterback decision to make, as it would have to choose between drafting someone like USC’s Caleb Williams or continuing to build around Justin Fields.
For his part, Fields believes the “improvement” he has shown in 2023 will help his cause.
“They know. They know. Everybody in the building knows who I am,” he said, per Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune. “Like I said, I can control what I can control and that’s it.”
That has been apparent in recent days, as teammates such as No. 1 wide receiver DJ Moore, wide receiver Darnell Mooney and cornerback Jaylon Johnson have all defended the quarterback and expressed their belief in his ability to be the franchise cornerstone.
“It means a lot,” Fields said of his teammates’ support. “(The guys) know the work I put in for this every day. I try to lead the team the best way possible. I’m just glad I’m making a positive impact and that my teammates feel that way about me.”
Just(in) Fields things ¯_(ツ)_/¯
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If the front office ultimately validates that belief by deciding not to draft a quarterback, that would give it plenty of flexibility to build a potential contender in 2024.
Perhaps the Bears could trade the No. 1 pick like they did last year and receive a haul in return, especially since their own selection could end up in the top 10. Or perhaps they could use it to select someone like Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. to pair with Moore.
Chicago certainly could have used Harrison on the field during Sunday’s loss to the Cleveland Browns, as the pass-catchers proved to be an issue with Robert Tonyan dropping a potential touchdown on a perfectly placed deep ball and Mooney missing a key block on a failed fourth down and failing to haul in a Hail Mary that fell into his hands at the end of the game.
Throw in the offensive line struggling to contain Cleveland’s pass-rush, and some of the problems that have surrounded Fields during the start of his career were all on full display in the loss.
Alas, it isn’t hard to envision the Bears as contenders next year if he is throwing to the likes of Moore and Harrison with some other pieces in place elsewhere on the roster.
That is,