The Chicago Bears have a raging controversy among followers of the team. Keep quarterback Justin Fields or trade him away and start over with USC Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams, selected with their overall no. 1 pick in this year’s NFL Draft?
Some people– actually, many people– don’t seem to think there should be any debate whatsoever. They believe drafting Williams is a no-brainer because, among several reasons, they feel Fields is just not a player around which a winning team can be built.
Justin Fields Is Just “Not That Good”
Denver Broncos insider Benjamin Allbright of KOAColorado, in a recent appearance on “The Big Douglas Show,” was asked about the reason for his feeling that the Bears will move on from Fields. He was exceedingly blunt with his reply.
“It’s a combination of things,” Allbright said. “One, he’s not that good, if we’re being honest. He’s an athletic marvel, but as a passer it’s not been good. It’s not all been the offensive line or receivers either, he’s just not been that good.
“The turnaround that Chicago had at the end of the season wasn’t because of Justin Fields. I mean, he had his normal bad numbers. It was the defense of Chicago all of a sudden getting a lot better. That’s not to say that Justin can’t turn into something. That’s not to say the offense wasn’t holding him back. It’s just saying that he’s not been good to date. He’s something like 8 and 27 as a starter [actually, 10-28]. That’s not all the supporting cast and the offense. Part of that is you at some point….Around the league he’s viewed a little bit lower, perhaps, than fans and media view him.”
In an ESPN piece by Jeremy Fowler and Courtney Cronin, an unnamed NFC executive gave an equally blunt assessment of Fields, the player.
“I just think we know what [Fields] is at this point– a great athlete and playmaker who misses some throws he shouldn’t or doesn’t always take the throws available to him,” the executive said. “You can win some games with him, and he’s got some elements to his game that are really impressive, but it’s not sustainable long-term from a pocket-passing standpoint, in my opinion.”
Justin Fields Trade Value
The ESPN article would go on to talk about Fields’ trade value– and it was a little underwhelming.
“The consensus in an informal poll of league evaluators is that Fields would be worth a second- or third-round pick in a pre-draft trade. When compared to former top-10 picks recently traded, that’s better than Trey Lance, whom Dallas acquired from San Francisco for a fourth-round pick, but slightly worse than Sam Darnold, who, along with a sixth-round pick, went from the Jets to Carolina in exchange for second- and fourth-rounders.”
That trade value assessment falls in line with an earlier poll of unnamed NFL executives who also felt Fields would only command a second-round draft pick in a pre-draft deal.
Can He Command A First-Round Return?
Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN First Draft, however, begs to differ when it comes to Fields’ trade value. Kiper feels that a quarterback-desperate team like the Atlanta Falcons may be willing to part with a no. 1 draft pick in order to bring Fields aboard.
“If you trade Justin Fields to Atlanta, you could get the 8th pick overall,” Kiper asserted. “So you could have 1, 8, and [the Bears’ own] 9 and be able recoup a second round pick [dealt to the Washington Commanders at the trade deadline this season in exchange for Montez Sweat] by trading down with one of those two picks, either 8 or 9, so a lot of maneuverability for the Bears either way.”
Kiper’s optimism notwithstanding, there’ve been some pretty harsh words launched Justin Fields’ way in recent days. And, while teammates and fans sing his praises, his near-bottom of the barrel stats and lack of actual wins during his three-run as a starter make it hard to justify keeping him around. Being one year removed from a monster payout via fifth year option is also a very tangible reason for Chicago possibly opting to draft Williams.
Fans will know the end of result of the Fields vs. Williams debate soon enough.