Bears' Perch No Longer So Lofty
On the occasion of his 25th birthday, Justin Fields is now the main reason why the Bears are being viewed as trending down coming out of the NFL Scouting Combine.
The Bears haven't completed a deal for him and he's "living in the gray" as GM Ryan Poles described it. His situation could be weighing down the team's offseason outlook at the moment.
The combine communicated numerous messages and the one regarding the Bears is not positive because of their situation with Fields, according to one veteran NFL writer.
Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports views the Bears as the combine's biggest loser as a result of what happened to the trade market for Justin Fields.
It's generally recognized the quarterback situation is limiting the demand for a quarterback like Fields and giving the Bears less chance for return.
The situation with Atlanta's interest in Kirk Cousins takes away a potential landing spot for Fields and leaves one who the Bears would not find a desireable trading partner as a team from within the same division. The only other teams viewed as potential targets are the Raiders and Steelers, and both have offensive coordinators who make those teams as landing spots seem less likely.
Now adding to this, according to Wetzel, is what was seen by NFL personnel people at the combine.
Wetzel saw Oregon's Bo Nix raising his stock greatly.
"If he can keep it up throughout the draft process, it is not out of the question that six quarterbacks are taken in the first round—or twice as many as some big boards predicted just a few weeks ago," Wetzel wrote.
Quarterbacks are in abundance and buyers are not. Supply favors the buyer and not the seller, and the Bears could be left holding onto Fields. Former Bears quarterback Jim Miller says they should simply keep him as their bridge QB to Williams, so he wouldn't have to start too soon.
The bridge method is not really a technique used with top picks in the draft, as none of the four QBs drafted since 2018 No. 1 overall have sat to begin their rookie year -- Kyler Murray, Joe Burrow, Trevor Lawrence and Bryce Young.
"Is Fields worth a second-round pick? A third? Some combination of third day selections?" Wetezel asks.
He concludes something the Bears won't like but it's a cold truth.
"The Bears are still in a nice spot headed into this draft, perhaps not as nice as they once hoped."
Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven
