3 ways Chicago Bears fans view Justin Fields

The “Justin Fields will never develop into a passer and will be a bust” faction.

Fields averaged under 150 passing yards per game. The most pass attempts he has had in a game is 28. The coaching staff does not trust him. Fields holds onto the ball too long.

This group argues that Justin Fields should be moved to running back or wide receiver because all he can do is run.

He also is carrying on an Ohio State tradition in the NFL by struggling. Poles might still not be sold on Fields after the Detroit game.

That is the narrative the Justin Fields will be a bust section likes to spin.

Some of those in that tribe also probably have a soft spot for the Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, and New York Jets. Those are three teams that had quarterback needs and either drafted Zach Wilson (the Jets) or passed on drafting Fields in 2021 (the Panthers and Broncos).

The other narrative is Fields runs too much. Here is the problem with their beliefs–the quarterback position is evolving.

Teams are starting to think that maybe the best athlete should have the ball in his hands for most of the game. Lamar Jackson, Jalen Hurts, and Josh Allen are all thriving in the NFL as dual threats.

They have also had a few more years in the NFL and a lot more around them to get better in the pocket.

Some folks do not accept change well. People like their quarterbacks to play a certain way and it has been hard to accept that today’s quarterback’s success cannot just be measured by how many times they throw 300 yards in a game.

Then again running all over the place might mean Fields will be hurt a lot. Yes, Fields missed one game this year after getting hurt on a run play. Typically, career-ending injuries come more from hits in the pocket than hits in the open field.

Also, Chicago Bears fans would probably take a Cam Newton-like career (MVP, made a Super Bowl) than say a decade of Jay Culter (although some love Jay so maybe they would take either player).

While appreciating what Fields has done and could become, some people in this base think the Bears should take a quarterback with the first overall pick in the draft.

The thing this camp in the fan base should ask is if Bryce Young or CJ Stroud are going to enter Week 1 next season already better than Justin Fields is after two seasons in the NFL.

Young is an amazing talent but is undersized for a quarterback. He is an amazing playmaker, but he is not built in the Russell Wilson or Kyler Murray mode. The chances of him surviving the big hits in the NFL are legitimate.

Stroud may see the field better, but he is coming out of the same Ohio State program Fields did. That means the holding onto the ball too long problem might follow Stroud into the league.

The chances of both being better right now than Fields are not very good. Then again, this tribe has recency bias. Recently, we saw Fields struggle badly against Detroit while Young destroyed Kansas State and Stroud ripped apart a good Georgia defense.