Chicago Bears Draft: Why Fields trade will be better than 2017

Reason #1: Fields’ talent is on a different level

When the Bears traded up in 2017 and announced Trubisky as their pick, the first reaction from many Bears fans was, “Who?” Despite his high draft stock among analysts going into the draft, many everyday fans weren’t familiar with him and were left confused by the trade.

I would’ve thought the Bears taking a gamble on a quarterback and failing spectacularly would be the end of that front office regime but it wasn’t the case here. Bears ownership gave Nagy and Pace one more chance and they swung for the fences again this year.

The reason I think this time will be different is that the talent of Fields is on another level compared to Trubisky. Some may argue there was similar hype around Trubisky but he simply didn’t have the amount of experience or the natural ability of Fields.

I could somewhat understand the Bears not drafting quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who went 10th to the Kansas City Chiefs. Of course, there are nine teams that should’ve taken him with the benefit of hindsight. Drafting a quarterback in the NFL is far from a sure thing.

The bad part was the apparent complete lack of interest in quarterback Deshaun Watson, who was highly touted out of college as well but fell to 12th when the Houston Texans selected him. It was inexcusable for the Bears to not even interview him or express interest.

With Fields, the front office gets a shot at redemption. Fields is a better talent than Trubisky and won’t have to start week one if he isn’t ready due to the Bears also having veteran QBs Andy Dalton and Nick Foles on the roster. Plus, there are endless possibilities on offense.

Reason #2: Nagy could run his full offense with Fields

Ever since the Bears’ offense went anemic after their 2018 division-winning season, fans have questioned whether it’s the lackluster personnel on that side of the ball or if coach Matt Nagy doesn’t have what it takes to run an NFL offense as a head coach.

For Nagy, there was always a question if the lackluster execution of both Trubisky and Foles was limiting his ability to run his full offense. Trubisky had mobility but just couldn’t make the throws he needed to while Foles showed flashes of former greatness but was inconsistent.

With Fields, Nagy instantly gets the most talented quarterback he’s ever coached on the Bears. There are a lot of possibilities for Fields under a coach like him and it seems like no coincidence that Nagy just reclaimed offensive play-calling duties from coordinator Bill Lazor.

Unless he wows right out of the gate, it’s unlikely that Fields will start week one for the Bears. The offense under Dalton or Foles would likely look different than under Fields. It will just be a matter of time until Nagy wants to promote Fields and explore his full potential.

If it is the case that Dalton is the opening day starter, expect that switch to come sooner rather than later. Nagy’s job is also on the line so he may not want to wait too long to see what Fields can do.