Bear Digest

So the Bears Didn't Support Justin Fields? This May Shock You

An ESPN study ranks this year's Bears near the top among supporting casts for QBs drafted 12th or better since 1990, but where they rated Justin Fields' rookie situation is sure to spark anger.
Gene Chamberlain|
Justin Fields and Andy Dalton talk things over during the 2021 training camp. Fields' is said by ESPN to have had elite support as a rookie.
Justin Fields and Andy Dalton talk things over during the 2021 training camp. Fields' is said by ESPN to have had elite support as a rookie. | Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

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Chicago Bears

In most analysis of offenses for this season, the Bears are viewed anywhere from much improve dto dazzling.

They've surrounded Caleb Williams with a strong supporting cast.

Indeed, ESPN writer Aaron Schatz composed an analysis of the best landing spots for quarterbacks drafted No. 1 overall since 1990 and arrived at the same conclusion as BearDigest did with a similar one: Caleb Williams has the best situation ever set up for a quarterback drafted first overall.

The BearDigest study was quarterbacks with top-three receivers and went back as far as the AFL-NFL merger. And Williams is No. 1.

Schatz's study goes back into the 1980s and includes supporting casts, with all the skill positions.

Schatz's study went beyond the No. 1 pick, though. He expanded it then to include best situations for quarterbacks drafted in the first 12 overall.

When he did, Williams still ranked very high, but it included a rather embarrassing conclusion for Bears fans.

Williams, Schatz says, has the second-best supporting cast for any quarterback taken first through 12th back as far as the 1990 draft.

The only quarterback drafted into a better situation was Daunte Culpepper with the Vikings in 1999. The receiver group of Randy Moss, Cris Carter and Jake Reed is hard to argue with, and when underrated running back Robert Smith is added in, the situation was very good for a QB drafted 11th.

The really interesting part of Schatz's study—and the embarrassing part for Chicago—is this section looking at all QBs taken 12th or better because it completely exposes and destroys the often-repeated theory that the Bears did not do enough to help Justin Fields.

When Schatz assessed supporting casts for all quarterbacks drafted by teams in the top 12 of Round 1 back to 1990, Fields' situation with the Bears in 2021 was ranked the fifth best for a QB. It was behind only Culpepper, Williams, Arizona's Matt Leinart (third, 2006) and J.J. McCarthy with the Vikings this year at No. 4.

Fields' situation was rated one spot ahead of Matthew Stafford with the Lions in 2009 and two ahead of Joe Burrow in 2020.

This might be enough to cause a riot of Bears fans considering it has taken this long for some of the bitter Fields fans to quiet down after it became apparent Williams would be drafted and their guy traded.

Schatz points out in 2021 Allen Robinson was coming off a 102-catch, 1,250-yard season, Darnell Mooney had 61 catches and 631 yards in his rookie year of 2020 and the Bears had two other speed receivers who had been productive elsewhere in Damiere Byrd and Marquise Goodwin. They also had Jimmy Graham coming off his last productive season and Cole Kmet. They had David Montgomery, Damien Williams and Khalil Herbert in the backfield. And they were a playoff team the previous year.

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Schatz actually admitted he had Fields' situation fourth, ahead of McCarthy with Minnesota.

It doesn't say much for Fields.

"I dropped the Bears a spot because of offensive line issues, but that was a pretty good group of skill players," Schatz wrote. "Fields would play in 12 games, throwing seven TD passes and 10 interceptions (and rushing for two scores)."

It seems a rather meager use of all that talent by the quarterback, and explains in part why they wound up turning down a different path to draft Williams this year and dealt away Fields for a conditional sixth-round pick.

Another Bears quarterback was on this list, as well. This was also embarrassing. He made the top 10, but it wasn't with the Bears.

Jay Cutler had the 10th best situation in Denver as a rookie, according to Schatz. Cutler had Javon Walker (1,382 yards receiving in 2004), Rod Smith (1,105 yards and six TDs in 2005) and drafted Brandon Marshall that year. They cut Mike Anderson but had Tatum Bell in the backfield (921 yards).

And after three seasons in Denver Cutler still hadn't cracked 88.5 for a passer rating or led a team to a winning record. Yet, Jerry Angelo had to have Cutler and dealt away the farm to get him. Cutler actually wound up costing two GMs their jobs.

Here's how Schatz ranked the supporting casts going back to 1990 for all QBs drafted 12th or better:

1. Daunte Culpepper, 1999 Vikings

2. Caleb Williams, 2024 Bears

3. Matt Leinart, 2006 Cardinals

4. J.J. McCarthy, 2024 Vikings

5. Justin Fields, 2021 Bears

6. Matthew Stafford, 2009 Lions

7. Joe Burrow, 2020 Bengals

8. Patrick Mahomes, 2017 Chiefs

9. Philip Rivers, 2004 Chargers

10. Jay Cutler, 2005 Broncos

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.