Chicago Bears must move on from Justin Fields if he fails in second year

Whether or not the Chicago Bears‘ 2022 season is successful will not be determined by the number of wins that the team has. For the Bears, success will be determined by whether or not second-year quarterback Justin Fields takes a step forward in his development towards becoming the franchise quarterback that has evaded the organization since the days of Sid Luckman.

If Justin Fields does take a step forward in his development, then the Bears will have placed themselves in a prime position to be aggressive next offseason. The Bears will have nearly $100 million to spend in free agency and would be an attractive destination with an emerging Fields still on his rookie deal.

But, what happens if the opposite outcome occurs for Fields and the Bears in 2022?

The chances that Fields does not take a set forward in his development this season may not be likely but aren’t completely unlikely either.

The fact remains that Fields will be playing with a Bears roster that is littered with starters that would otherwise be insurance agents, or at the very most, third or fourth stringers on a competitive team. Not to mention, Fields is entering his second consecutive season with a new offensive coordinator and new offensive scheme.

While the Bears’ scheme for Fields in 2022 will certainly be improved from 2021 since there was no scheme, it still is unknown how the second-year quarterback will perform in the system. This is also where it should be distinguished that Fields’ success this season may not be determined by his stats this season either.

Fields’ stats may not look pretty this season based on the supporting cast that he has around him but if he is consistently putting the ball in the right places while routinely hitting on his mechanics, then there is no need to be concerned about Fields as the team’s starting quarterback moving forward.

Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields needs to take a step forward in his development during the 2022 NFL Regular season.

But, if some of the concerns over Fields’ performance in 2021 carry over throughout the duration of the 2022 season, then there is no question that the Bears must move on from the quarterback. The concerns to monitor are Fields’ ability to move through his progressions, his throwing mechanics, and ball security.

If Fields is consistently missing on plays because he is trying to force a “home run instead of taking a single” and his mechanics are still leading to a slow release, then when coupled with his supporting cast or lack thereof, the Bears are going to be one of the worst teams in the NFL this season.

If that happens, the Bears must avoid the same mistake that they made with Mitch Trubisky. They can not afford to enter a third year with a quarterback where they are hoping that the mechanics finally take shape. Instead, the best move for the organization would be to move on from Fields and select a quarterback with their 2023 first-round draft selection.