The Process of Backing Justin Fields Begins

Trade starts the offseason plan to give Justin Fields what he needs to win, and then it will be up to him.

It's safe to wonder if the Bears would have dealt with Carolina and dropped all the way down to ninth in Round 1 of this year's draft if Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter hadn't been charged with racing and reckless driving.

After all, the greatest Bears needs this offseason are and have been on the defensive line, both at tackle and end. Carter is a true talent and would have fit in well, on paper anyway.

Nevertheless, the trade is in the books and with what the Bears received they'll be sitting in a prominent draft situation the next two or three years. They'll be prepared for whatever happens next season with Justin Fields, come success or failure.

GM Ryan Poles really wasn't bluffing when he said he could get two first-round picks in addition to moving down and taking a trading partner's first-round pick for the No. 1 pick. The trade he made actually was better than this.

The key is D.J. Moore, the former Panthers receiver who was a first-round draft pick and somehow has made it through five seasons in Carolina with 5,201 receiving yards, 364 receptions, 21 TDs while dealing with a veritable revolving door at quarterback. 

Cam Newton, Taylor Henicke, Kyle Allen, Will Grier, Teddy Bridgewater, P.J. Walker, Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield and Jacob Eason all threw him passes in those five seasons. What, no Jake Delhomme?

Moore becomes the best receiver the Bears have had probably since Brandon Marshall.

Moore & Moore 💫 pic.twitter.com/Gei1jYwPMx

— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) February 3, 2023

Allen Robinson and Alshon Jeffery never put together three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons as Moore has. Marshall didn't do it in Chicago, although he had seven straight encompassing stints with Denver, Miami and the Bears.

What the Bears have done is give a very accurate deep passer one of the best downfield targets in the NFL. According to PFF, Fields led the NFL in completions percentage on throws of 10-19 yards downfield. Moore's 172 targets on throws of that range were the second most by any receiver from 2019-22.

The addition of Moore creates a real controversy in one sense because Poles had gone to extremes and traded away the 33rd pick in the draft for Chase Claypool. While Claypool is much bigger than Moore at 6-3, 238, both can be X-receivers, although Moore is versatile enough to play all positions.

So in a world where No. 1 WRs were getting $25 million per in new money last year, the Bears get DJ Moore at ages 26, 27 and 28 at an average of $17.4 million per. And do it in a year when Jakobi Meyers and DJ Chark are the top UFA WRs.

Now, Chicago can turn its focus to the OL.

— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 10, 2023

Are the Bears saying something about a lack of confidence in Claypool with this move?

Or are they saying the same about Darnell Mooney's availability after ankle surgery?

Regardless, Fields now has the most accomplished receiver he has ever targeted. There needs to be no more whining and pleading about receiver help for Fields.

He still needs pass blocking and they'll be able to address this is free agency starting Monday at 3 p.m. when the "legal tampering" period begins.

This should also set up the Bears for a very defensive-heavy draft, with linebackers and defensive linemen much higher on the agenda than pass catchers.

Defense is another way to help Fields. When Fields got hot and had a passer rating of 99.9 with nine TD passes to three interceptions over five games, he led the offense to 29.6 points per game. The Bears won once because their defense was wretched.

I’m told by another source that this deal was basically worked out at Indy. All that remained were the finer details

— Greg Gabriel (@ggabefootball) March 10, 2023

They traded Roquan Smith and Robert Quinn during that stretch and never won again as their defense allowed 33.3 points a game over their final 10.

Helping Fields by allowing a few less points can go a long way.

This trade truly is the first step of the offseason toward getting Fields real help. Even with all the cash they'll need to pay to Moore, about an average of $17 million annually on the rest of his contract guaranteed, they'll still be well armed to bring in free agent defensive and offensive line help. They have about $75 million left under the cap according to Overthecap.com. They're better equipped in the draft with an extra second-rounder.

By the time Poles is done, there should be no doubt Fields has what is necessary to win.

Then it will be entirely on Fields' shoulders to prove he is what everyone thinks he is.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven