The Chicago Bears traded for the 11th overall selection in the 2021 NFL draft to select potential franchise quarterback, Justin Fields out of Ohio State. Fields completed over 70 percent of passes in the 2020 season and helped the Buckeyes reach the College Football Playoff Championship against Alabama.
He was first in passing yards in 2019 in the Big Ten with 3272 and led the Big Ten in 2020 with 2100 passing yards in a shortened season due to COVID. With that, he won the 2019 and 2020 Big Ten Offensive Player of the year awards and became one of the best quarterbacks in college football in the last couple of seasons. Fields watched his stock slip away after informing teams that he was managing epilepsy. Though, it never affected him throughout his time playing college football with Ohio State.
Hearing that turned some teams away and he dropped to 11th and became the fourth quarterback selected. He’s top three talent but fell below the top ten for having seizures while in high school. Anyway, the Bears went 8-8 last year behind Mitch Trubisky and other quarterbacks. Nobody could get the job done for the Bears and quarterback play is what truly lacked for the Windy City’s team.
Before the draft, the Bears had agreed to a deal with former Bengals and Cowboys quarterback Andy Dalton on a one-year deal. But Dalton shared that the one-year deal was also a promise that he would be the starting quarterback for the team at 33 years old.
The report is now that the Bears will have an open competition between Fields and Dalton to see who will get to start for the Bears and anchor an offense that has been dreadful with Trubisky. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said on “Get Up!” last week that Fields will have a chance to beat out Dalton this summer.
“Now, if Fields is just undeniable over the next three to four months in training camp, they’re not going to just sit him just for fun or posterity just to play the veteran. So they’re going to give him the best chance, but they’re OK sitting Fields if Dalton has a good grasp on the job and they feel like they can win with him. So, they believe they’re going to be better regardless. It just depends on whether Fields is ready Week 1.”
Fields is unlike most quarterbacks in the league, He’s 6-2, weighs 220 and is mobile after running a 4.44 in the 40-yard dash. That’s literally the second fastest time for a quarterback in the last 15 years. Fields has all the tools to be successful with his arm and feet. He’s a once-in-a-lifetime prospect if used properly.
The Bears also have the offense figured out. The weapons are now in place with running backs like David Montgomery and Tarik Cohen along with receivers like Allen Robinson II and Darnell Mooney. And if that’s not enough, the Bears have built depth at tight end with Cole Kmet and Jimmy Graham. This offense has the weapons to be explosive, but only with Fields at quarterback.
And let’s not forget the human aspect of things. Fields was supposed to be a top three pick in the NFL Draft and instead dropped to 11th. He’s going to have a chip on shoulder and wants to prove to the league that he’s more than capable of being a premier quarterback in the league. He wants to prove that he belonged at the top with Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson.
We’ve seen how much he cares and how much he leads on the field during his time at Ohio State. He’s a gamer and is all about business. He wants to win and wants to play at the highest level. He will give it his all. And because of that, Fields will develop quick enough to force the Bears to play him Week 1. It’ll be the best decision this franchise has ever made.
