Bear Digest

Each week proves the Bears were right to move on from Justin Fields

There were a lot of Justin Fields fans in Chicago, but the Bears' decision to trade the former first-round pick continues looking better by the week.
Bryan Perez|
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Chicago Bears

Justin Fields had a lot of fans in Chicago. And I mean, a lot.

The debate over whether the Chicago Bears should keep Fields and trade the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft -- rather than spend it on QB Caleb Williams -- fractured the Bears' fanbase. The pro-Fields camp was large and loud.

So when GM Ryan Poles traded Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers for pennies on the dollar, the already immense of pressure that comes along with playing quarterback in Chicago was turned up several notches for Williams.

Fields flashed the skill set that excited Bears fans for three seasons during his one year and limited starts for the Steelers. Naturally, it kept the embers of the Fields-Williams debate burning longer than any fan had hoped.

However, now that Justin Fields is QB1 for the New York Jets after inking a two-year, $40 million deal in free agency, it's become abundently clear that he's not who Bears fans once wished he'd be.

And perhaps it was never as clear as it was in Week 6, when Fields managed a junior varsity stat line against the Denver Broncos in London.

Fields completed 9-of-17 passes for just 45 yards. He ran for 31 yards on seven carries.

The Jets' offense was downright brutal, and Fields' inability to sustain any drives was the main reason why. His processing issues remain, his accuracy issues remain, and, at this point in his NFL career, it looks like his pro outlook will eventually return to where it was in Pittsburgh: a backqup QB.

I get it. We all wanted Justin Fields to be the savior Chicago has long been searching for at quarterback. And there were times when Fields brough Soldier Field to its feet and watered those seeds of hope that he'd be that guy.

But he's not. And, fortunately for the Chicago Bears, he was replaced by Caleb Williams.

So far, so good.

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Bryan Perez
BRYAN PEREZ

Bryan Perez founded and operated Bears Talk, a Chicago sports blog. Prior to that, he covered the Bears for USA Today’s Bears Wire and NBC Sports Chicago. In addition to his Chicago Bears coverage, Perez is a respected member of NFL Draft media and was a past winner of The Huddle's Mock Draft competition. Bryan's past life includes time as a Northeast scout for the CFL's Ottawa Redblacks.

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