Ryan Poles should be prepared for drastic measures if Justin Fields continues to struggle

At 2-1, the Chicago Bears boast a winning record. That record, alone, is maybe the only reason to be happy as a Bears fan, right now.

The defense looks questionable at times, the offensive line is still mediocre at best, offensive weapons are lacking and quarterback Justin Fields has yet to impress. In fact, he looks as though he is taking a step backwards.

This is not a narrative that says the Bears should be out on Fields when the kid hasn’t even played a total of 17 games as a pro.

No, this is simply futuristic-thinking. It’s only three games into this season, but Fields’ performances have been alarming.

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles needs to prepare himself for possible drastic measures next offseason.

Just three weeks in, the Bears look like they could be a team to play just good enough to land outside of the top six or seven picks, but not bad enough to end up with the opportunity to draft someone like Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud.

With that said, make no mistake about it: If the Bears are in position to draft Young or Stroud, they will — and the future for Fields will be thrown into the air, with a trade likely on the horizon.

Young is a can’t-miss prospect, and Stroud isn’t far behind him. If Chicago is on the clock, and one of those two are available, then they will become a Chicago Bear.

But, that’s not what is likely to happen. At this stage, the Bears could end up with a pick between 7-12, which then makes things extremely interesting. Sure, the Bears could grab one of the top wide receivers at that spot, and fans would be thrilled.

But, if a prospect like Will Levis is there when the Bears are on the clock, does Poles even think about pulling the trigger?

In short, he has to think about it. He has to.

This is his first crack at being the general manager of an NFL franchise. This is essentially his audition to stick around NFL front offices (and ideally the Bears) for a very long time. Getting the quarterback position right is the only thing that matters in today’s league.

Now, quarterback prospects out of the picture, this next draft and offseason is crucial. If Fields doesn’t improve, then Poles has the “out” of saying that Fields hasn’t yet had the amount of talent surrounding him that’s necessary to develop. From there, it’s all on Poles to give him the absolute best-case scenario going into the 2023 season.

We’re talking about drafting the best wide receiver they can get their hands on in Round 1, followed by immediate offensive line help in the next round or two, followed yet again by another wide receiver in the coming rounds.

Look, the wide receiver market is going to be dry and bare next year during free agency. The best available names will be JuJu Smith-Schuster, Allen Lazard, DJ Chark, Sterling Shepard and Nelson Agholor. There are zero star wide receivers that are coming up on their free agent year in 2023, so Poles has to load up in the draft. He has no other option.

Quite frankly, if Poles goes offense with all except one pick in next year’s draft, that might be just what it takes to sway people’s opinion back to giving Fields another crack at it.

Once more, this is all hypothetical. But, it’s a very realistic possibility.

When is the last time the Bears drafted and developed a franchise quarterback?

Check back later if you’ve found the answer to that question.

The measures taken next year will need to be drastic in order to address the quarterback position and future of the offense in Chicago, and Poles best be prepared for those measures.