Justin Fields has been a star from the moment he got into football. He dominated high school and became a star at Ohio State in college. During that time, he did a lot of winning. It seems his experience with the Chicago Bears was way more than he bargained for. The team has been undergoing a rebuild under new GM Ryan Poles. This led to some roster transition that left Fields in a difficult spot last year. Going into 2023, it felt like he finally had help. D.J. Moore arrived from Carolina. The offensive line was improved. It was the second year in Luke Getsy’s offense. Most people rightfully expected improvement.
They haven’t gotten it. If anything, Fields looks like he regressed from last year. His passing hasn’t improved by any measurable degree and he’s not even a dangerous rushing threat anymore. The decision to call out the coaching staff this week for “overcoaching” him was a clear window into his thinking. One person who didn’t care for it was former Super Bowl champ and current NFL Network analyst Bucky Brooks. He’s been one of Fields’ biggest supporters since he came out in the 2021 draft. However, it appears Brooks has finally waved the white flag.
In his mind, if the Bears QB were worth anything, he’d have shown it by now.
“Though Fields’ supporters will point to a leaky offensive line and underwhelming weaponry during most of his Bears tenure, it is hard to ignore the repeated miscues and mistakes from the young quarterback. He has to take better care of the ball and either find a way to string together completions or utilize his superior athleticism to keep the offense on schedule. We have seen athletic quarterbacks with accuracy woes flourish in this league. (Michael Vick and Cam Newton immediately spring to mind, while Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen and Jalen Hurts have experienced ups and downs with ball placement, as well.) But this season, Fields has failed to provide precision with his arm (60.6 percent completion rate, 70.7 passer rating) or potency with his legs (13 rushes for 62 yards and one touchdown). Consequently, Chicago’s offense is always off schedule.
Sure, Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy could call more designed runs and read-option plays to tap into Fields’ athleticism, but truly great players make plays regardless of their circumstances. That is why I had trouble with his headline-grabbing comments from earlier this week, when he talked about feeling “robotic” while essentially throwing his coaches under the bus.”
It’s hard to argue Brooks’ assessment of Justin Fields.
Nobody disputes the quarterback’s incredible athleticism, arm talent, and work ethic. The problem is it takes more than that to be a good QB in the NFL. You need precision and consistency. Nothing about Fields is consistent. Over the past 19 games, Chicago has had the worst 3rd down conversion rate in the league. Fields is barely completing 60% of his passes in an era where 65% is the average. He has 14 interceptions and a staggering 19 fumbles. Throw in the 65 sacks, and you get an idea of why the Bears struggle to sustain drives.
You can’t blame all of that on coaching. Baker Mayfield joined a Cleveland Browns team in 2018 that had gone 0-16 the previous year. Their head coach, Hugh Jackson, was universally derided as one of the worst in the NFL and was eventually fired midseason. That didn’t stop Mayfield from throwing 27 touchdowns as a rookie and posting a 6-7 record. Justin Fields is 5-22. At some point, the excuses have to stop. Brooks thinks that time is now. Unless he can somehow flip the switch over the next 15 games, it feels like he’s on borrowed time.
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