The 2023 season came to an end on Sunday for the Chicago Bears as they lost to the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field by a score of 17-9. With the offseason officially underway while having a plethora of resources to improve the roster for 2024, including the first overall draft selection and over 60 million in salary cap space, Chicago will be able to address all of their needs. The one area drawing the most interest is on offense, as certainty surrounds both quarterback Justin Fields and offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, as the team should likely part ways with both.
Neither Fields and Getsy Made Notable Progress In 2023
Before the start of the 2023 season, there were high expectations for both Fields and Getsy as general manager Ryan Poles had used the offseason to build up the offensive talent. Poles signed free agent offensive guard Nate Davis, tight end Robert Tonyan, and running back D’Onta Foreman while drafting offensive tackle Darnell Wright, wide receiver Tyler Scott, and running back Roschon Johnson. The most significant offseason acquisition was wide receiver DJ Moore in the trade with Carolina, which also gradually led to the first overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft.
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Despite the additions to the offense, Fields’ passing numbers in 2023 were almost identical to what he generated in 2022, and that is with playing two games fewer than last year. The third-year quarterback finished with 16 passing touchdowns, nine interceptions, 2,562 passing yards, and a quarterback rating of 86.3. There was not one massive jump in any of Fields’ passing stats this season, despite being sacked 11 times fewer than 2022 and having a wide receiver in Moore, who had over 1300 receiving yards and nearly 100 receptions.
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Half of Fields’ passing touchdowns came in two games, as against he threw four touchdowns in back-to-back games against Denver and Washington. Additionally, Chicago’s quarterback, through three seasons, still has more contests throwing for less than 100 yards than passing for 300 yards or more. The one area Fields did improve on from last year to this year was interceptions, as he had six interceptions before his thumb injury and only three following his returns, of which two came on Hail Mary throws.
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Similar to Fields, there was no significant progress made by Getsy despite having another year to develop his offensive scheme with the infusion of more talent. Chicago’s offensive coordinator oversaw a passing offense that only improved by five spots from 2022 despite having a top-five rushing attack again. There was no consistency when it came to offensive output, as there were only two times when the Bears’ offense scored more than 30 points in a game while scoring less than 21 points in nine contests.
The main issue with Getsy has been in-game play-calling, as he lacks consistency in attacking opposing defenses and has too often become too conservative. There have been times when Chicago’s play-caller has taken the ball out of his quarterback’s hands to where it appears that there is no trust for his quarterback’s ability. Getsy’s offense has not been able to work with Fields’ shortcomings, which is a failure on the offensive coordinator to find ways to get the best out of the quarterback.
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Fields And Getsy Create More Problems If They Are Retained
Having a choice of any quarterback prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft, it is in Chicago’s best interest to start fresh with new faces instead of keeping either Getsy or Fields. With the first overall selection, the Bears can attract any offensive-minded coach to become the team’s new offensive coordinator to pair with whoever the passing prospect is that is selected by Poles and the front office. Starting fresh provides more options than keeping either Getsy or Fields, as if one of them were to be brought back in 2024 and struggled, the Bears would be in an even worse position than they are now.
Bringing Fields back from the 2024 season, after two years in which there was no extensive growth, as a quarterback would be extremely risky if none takes place next year while a rookie prospect excels immediately. Additionally, retaining Chicago’s current quarterback for another season would shorten the list of potential offensive coordinator replacements as a coach would need to develop an offense specifically tied to the traits of the team’s quarterback, one that has proven that he can only play in one type of scheme.
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If a decision is made to keep Getsy and move on from Fields, the decision would be costly for Chicago both on a short-term and long-term basis. Giving the current offensive coordinator a chance to draft a quarterback of his choice could cause quite a few problems, as the coordinator will likely be out of a job if he struggles again in 2024. Keeping Getsy for one more year could be a waste of a rookie season for a quarterback prospect and lead to the rookie having to learn multiple offensive schemes in back-to-back seasons.
The last two seasons for the Bears have led to almost identical passing results from the offense, with Fields and Getsy being the two significant contributors. With the offseason starting, Chicago can restart their offense with a new offensive coordinator and rookie quarterback ahead of the 2024 season. Although Fields and Getsy have their strengths and have moments of looking elite, they have struggled with consistency over the past two seasons, with Poles having a chance now to move on from both of them.
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Don’t make it more complicated than it needs to be. 1) Getsy Out. Why can’t Bears get plays together like everyone else in the League? Field’s rolls right, DJ long post, Kmet 12 to 15 yds across and Herbert or Johnson slipping blocks for the 5 to 7 yds across route. 2) With all the #1 picks that Bear’s can stock up with O & D linemen and still have 2 #1 picks in 2025 & 2026 if Field’s can’t get going in a more mobile offensive coordinator & scheme. 3) Pushes decision off for another year on Eberflus and… Read more »
Arnie , all valid points. Another thing which is never mentioned is let’s say a receiver, is running a route… At some point he should look back towards the quarterback to see what’s going on. If he perceives the quarterback being in trouble, a good receiver would break off the route, and start working his way towards the quarterback in an effort to give him a target to throw to.. usually only the best receivers do this. Dont know why. This is something that can be taught. On the Bears, it only appears that DJ Moore does this. Watching TV… Read more »
@Hehateme30 One more thing to add to your list of problem with the passing game is that a lot of people keep saying Fields can’t play against a zone defense. That’s not really true, or at least it’s overly general. To beat a zone, you need several things, and “reading the defense” is as much on the receivers as it is the QB, the only difference is the QB does for each route on the play what a receiver only has to do on his own route. In a lot of cases, that read is mostly done presnap, based on… Read more »
@scott brs, @Sam K I disagree with both of you about Fields “having to go.” I AM pro-Fields but not “only-Fields.” Let me put it like this: The Bears need an offensive coordinator who knows what he’s doing. They may need an entire offensive coaching staff. IF they get someone, they should look at over 10, maybe 20. They should look at organization, philosophy and what they’ve done that supports whatever they say. They should talk to co-workers, players and references. BUT they should also ask them, what could (or would,) they do with Fields, and every other potential draft… Read more »