of Chicago Bears are looking to bounce back from a difficult 2021-22 season NFL season, but can they do it with minimal depth on offense and a largely unproven second-year quarterback in Justin Fields?
Former Bears offensive coordinator Mike Martz said this week that he believes Fields — “a guy who makes a lot of mistakes and isn’t particularly accurate” — should go elsewhere as a backup QB because he won’t develop “into a Terrible Chicago”. the club that could end up being the worst team in the league this season.
The Bears finished third in the NFC North last season at 6-11. Chicago hasn’t finished over .500 since 2018, producing just two winning seasons in the past 10 years while making the postseason twice (2018 and 2020) during that span.
That could change this season with the addition of new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy and quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko to help guide Fields in his second season, but Colin Cowherd isn’t convinced.
On Thursday’s “The Herd,” he talked about why the Bears are ultimately passing on the 23-year-old Fields, saying the organization is behind the times and doesn’t currently have the tools to succeed.
“Chicago is going to be bad and this is a promising year in a weak division,” Cowherd said. “[The] The Bears can’t get the O line right. They have a legit one [player] – [Darnell] Mooney. This is.
“I feel like the Bears operate like it’s a 1958 franchise. They’re a black-and-white TV in a digital world. They just don’t feel like they’re connected. They’re slow to rotate. They can’t figure out the salary cap. … The salary cap manipulates the Bears … They just got romanticized [Mike] Ditka and the ’85 Bears forever. Enough! Offensive pilot. Give up on Roquan Smith. Enlist the help of Justin Fields.”
Are the Bears failing Justin Fields early in his career?
Colin Cowherd explains why the Chicago Bears will struggle this season.
In the 2021 NFL Draft, the Bears traded up to No. 11 overall to select Fields, followed by offensive tackle Teven Jenkins, who dealt with back issues as a rookie and has recently moved to right guard. The Bears also acquired Andy Dalton before the draft, creating an immediate QB controversy before Fields’ rookie season.
Over 12 appearances (including 10 starts), Fields completed 58.9% of his passes for 1,870 yards with seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions. fields, who previously said he “wants to take over” the league, went 2-8 as a starter. He was sacked nine times in his first start in Week 3. He also fumbled 12 times on the season, losing five of them.
Fields saw limited time in the Bears’ second preseason game last week, completing 5-of-7 attempts for 39 yards despite spending much of his time on the run.
Why it’s time for the Bears to help Justin Fields
Colin Cowherd calls on the Bears to acquire more talent for their second QB.
However, the Bears have been struggling on offense long before Fields’ arrival.
Over the past five years, the Bears offense ranks 27th in the NFL in points per game (20.3), 29th in passing yards per game (204) or 30th in big plays per game (plus 10 rushing yards or 20 more passing yards) with just 5.2.
The Bears check in at 28th in third-down conversion rate (36.1%), while completing 22.9% of their drives without a first down — the seventh-highest mark in the NFL — and allowing 10th most sacks per game (2.6 ) at the same time.
Over the past decade, the Bears offense ranks 26th in the NFL in points per game (21.1) and 28th in passing yards per game (218.8). They are 28th in big plays per game with just 5.6 over the last 10 years.
It gets worse from there, with Chicago ranking third-to-last in passing yards per game (200.3) and drives ending in a touchdown (16.9%) over the last 20 years and last in third-down conversion rate (35.3 %.
The Bears have had seven first-round picks in the last 10 NFL drafts. Of the seven, four were offensive players — guard/tackle Kyle Long, wide receiver Kevin White and quarterbacks Mitchell Trubisky and Fields — and three were defensive players — cornerback Kyle Fuller and linebackers Leonard Floyd and Smith.
Fields and Smith, who requested a trade from the Bears on Aug. 9 after saying Chicago’s front office “doesn’t appreciate” him, are the only Bears starters from the past decade still with the team.
It appears that Smith’s days in Chicago are dull, and Fields may be as well, unless he improves significantly this season.
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