by Just when everyone had given up on Justin Fields and said it was time to tank for Caleb Williams, Fields has not only played two of the best games of his career but done it in back-to-back weeks.
While the Bears squandered a 28-7 lead last week against the Broncos, it’s hard to put that on Fields when he threw for 335 yards and four touchdowns, not to mention the fact that his head coach Matt Eberflus is a former defensive coordinator. This week against the Commanders, Fields and the Bears had an impressive start to the game, leading 27-3 at the half, but this time they finished in the second half to come away with the 40-20 victory at FedEx Field.
Over the last two weeks, Justin Fields has displayed the talent that got him selected as the number 11 pick in the 2021 draft. Many in the media, including myself if you want to count me as a member of the media, believed that this would be the year he put it all together. Fields showed promise at the end of last season, the Bears traded out of the number one pick, and they added DJ Moore and bolstered the offensive line this off-season. The Bears showed confidence in Fields and gave him the support he needed to finally take that next step. It took three weeks of looking like a bottom-five quarterback to get to this point, but Fields is finally looking like a viable NFL quarterback. If he can keep this up, it would be hard to argue Fields is anything less than a top-10 quarterback in this league.
Not only does Chicago have their own pick, but they also obtained the Carolina Panthers’ first-round pick in the aforementioned deal involving the first overall pick in the 2023 draft. Entering Week 5 of the NFL season, the Bears and Panthers were the league’s two remaining winless teams. The Bears were able to come away with a win on Thursday Night Football, but they still have one of the worst records in the league. As it stands now, it appears the Bears will have not one but two shots at the first overall pick.
Fields has looked great the last two weeks, but that still doesn’t address the fact that the Bears are still very much in play to win the Caleb Williams Sweepstakes with two potential entries. If Fields is able to maintain his current level of play, it is hard to imagine the Bears will have a shot at the number one pick with their own pick, yet that pick from Carolina could very well still land at number one. This would likely be the most difficult situation for the Bears organization to be in. If they win 6-7 games and then get the number one pick from Carolina, they will have a real decision on their hands. Do they move Fields for a pair of firsts, and possibly more, or do they trade the first overall pick to the highest bidder?
Many people would say, “get what you can for Fields and draft the franchise-altering talent in Caleb Williams.” They would say it doesn’t matter what Fields does this season, if you have a shot to take Williams, take him. While in a vacuum I’d agree with this line of thinking, there’s a list of other variables that Chicago will have to take into account before making a decision at quarterback.
The easiest decision for Chicago will be if the Bears only win three or four games. Fields clearly didn’t get it done in that scenario, so it’s time to part ways and draft Caleb. However, if the Bears are able to win 6, 7, maybe even 8 games, for me, it would come down to the trade compensation they are able to get for either Fields or Williams. As the 49ers have shown, sometimes it’s not always about the quarterback if the team around him can elevate his play. Something like Colin Cowherd’s trade package, which included two firsts, George Pickens, and TJ Watt for Caleb Williams is something I would take if Justin Fields ends up looking like that guy. On the other hand, I’d pull the trigger and build around Caleb Williams if a team is willing to pay 2 ones or more for Fields.
The last factor the Bears will have to consider is the contract situation of their quarterback of choice. Williams will have three more years on a rookie contract than Fields and will allow you to build a stronger roster around him. If the overall team seems like it will be equal with either trade package, the obvious choice is to go with Caleb Williams, just based on the contract situation alone.
In the end, I think Justin Fields will be the starting quarterback of the Bears next season. Over the last two weeks, he’s shown enough to lead me to believe that the Bears will not have the worst record in the league. I don’t think Chicago will land the first pick from Carolina either. At this point in the season, the Broncos are arguably the worst team in the league, and the Cardinals have been overperforming so far this season but still only have one win to show for it. The Bears have looked like a legitimate NFL team recently, and the addition of Caleb Williams would make them a fun watch next season. However, at this point, I do not see them landing Caleb Williams in April.