What if Justin Fields doesn’t have to face Caleb Williams, the likely No. 1 choice in April, in the Chicago Bears’ quarterback decision?
On Friday, February 23, Aaron Schatz of ESPN asked that question when he wrote a list of “bold moves” for every NFL team.
Why not both Williams and Fields, we wonder while choosing between them? Adam Schefter of ESPN has mentioned that the Bears may consider this. The theory goes that the Bears are in a strong enough position on the roster to not want to risk it all on a rookie quarterback who has the potential to be either a terrific quarterback (playing like C.J. Stroud) or a poor quarterback (playing like Bryce Young).
Although the Bears had a 7–10 record at the end of the season, they were 11th in weighted DVOA, a statistic that values recent performances more highly and devalues early in the season. Specifically, the Bears’ weighted defensive DVOA ranking was sixth. This might be a playoff-caliber defense, and maybe they would want to stick with what they know (Fields) rather than try something new in the hopes of increasing the likelihood of making the postseason.
Fields sees little drawback in Schatz’s suggestion. In the episode of “The St. Brown Brothers” podcast from February 21, he stated that his ideal outcome would be to continue as the starting quarterback for an NFL team and remain in Chicago.
“I want to stay, of course,” Fields declared on Wednesday. “I don’t think I could play somewhere else. However, I would prefer to remain in Chicago if it were up to me. I adore the city. The city is illuminated. Both the people and the fans are fantastic.
With the exception of Fields bombing and the trade worth of the team dropping to about a second-round pick as the NFL Combine approaches at the end of February, there isn’t really much of a downside for the Bears either.
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