Do the Chicago Bears have any advantages compared to the last time they drafted a quarterback in the 1st round? They certainly hope so considering how many jobs are riding on Justin Fields being a success. GM Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy narrowly avoided losing theirs this past offseason. A big part of why they survived was their late surge to make the playoffs in 2020 and the insistence they could fix the quarterback position. Long the sore spot of this organization.

After failed attempts to trade for Matthew Stafford and Russell Wilson, the duo finally pulled off their big move when they jumped from 20th overall to 11th for Fields. Hope was restored for Bears fans. Now it felt like they had a genuine superstar-caliber talent at the position. From here it becomes a matter of development and when he should play. Much of this is often dictated by the supporting cast. Do the Bears have one suited to assist a rookie QB? Chris Trapasso of CBS Sports thinks so.

He did a rankings of the best team situations for every 1st round QB.

Unsurprisingly, Trey Lance ran away with #1 in San Francisco. However, right behind him was Fields at #2. Much of this thanks to the presence of their strong defense and an underrated group of pass-catching weapons led by Allen Robinson.

“Skill-position group: 2nd
Offensive line: 5th
Play caller: 4th
Defense: 2nd

Total points: 107

Allen Robinson. Anthony Miller. And the ultra-slippery, super-fast Darnell Mooney. That’s a strong trio for Fields to begin his NFL. Mooney forced as many missed tackles as A.J. Brown, D.K. Metcalf, and Tyreek Hill (!) as a rookie. Bananas. Jimmy Graham and Cole Kmet are towering presences at tight end in the red zone. And the running back duo of David Montgomery and Tarik Cohen are vintage thunder and lightning. Sixth-round back Khalil Herbert has the juice and bounce to make a name for himself if called upon as a rookie.

Teven Jenkins will be fine at left tackle. Technique and power. James Daniels at guard and Cody Whitehair at center are a touch above average. The right side of the line features Germain Ifedi, who’s survived in the NFL much more on his athletic prowess than play, and Elijah Wilkerson, who was a liability in Denver.”

It’s interesting to see how different the outside perspective on the team can be sometimes. While most Bears fans would agree that Robison and Mooney are a rock solid pairing at wide receiver, they might disagree on Anthony Miller. Somebody they see more as an underachiever who isn’t guaranteed a roster spot. The optimism surrounding running back is also nice to see. Particularly 6th round pick Khalil Herbert. One interesting oversight is the belief Whitehair will play at center this season. Something the Bears have made clear isn’t happening with the ascent of Sam Mustipher.

Justin Fields remains in control of this narrative

The fact is the Bears’ supporting cast is light years better than the one Mitch Trubisky had back in 2017. One can surmise the team knew it too. That is why they wanted to sit Trubisky behind Mike Glennon. That didn’t last long and the rookie was forced to weather the storm that followed. This time around, it’s not about concerns with the receivers or offensive line. For Nagy, it’s more about a particular development style.

He believes Justin Fields shouldn’t have to play right away. The rookie can and should benefit from sitting on the sideline learning from a solid veteran like Andy Dalton. Somebody who has done it in the NFL for the past decade. How to operate in the huddle, how to read defenses, and how to translate work from practice to games. Can he play immediately? Yes.

The Bears though don’t want to rush him.

Yet it almost feels inevitable. Fields is going to play at some point this season. Maybe it will be after Dalton struggle. Maybe Dalton gets injured. Or maybe the rookie just outplays him in practice to such a degree the coaches can’t keep him out of action any longer. Either way, the theory of Chicago’s strong supporting cast will be tested at some point. Something fans can’t wait to see.