Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles has a huge decision ahead of him. Should he trade Justin Fields and reset at QB or stick with the passer and surround him with better talent? I think the Bears had adequate talent on offense in 2023 to get a solid, genuine evaluation on Fields. And the results weren't pretty.
Justin Fields has not proven he can be a franchise QB, and if a team in the NFL has any questions or uncertainty about whether or not they have their QB, well, that means they don't. However, a potential trade offer for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft could be rich enough for Poles to stick with Fields for another year. Here is what he recently had to say at the NFL Combine:
"It just depends on what opportunities pop up, Poles said when asked if he'd prefer to trade Fields early in free agency, presuming the Bears are planning to reset at quarterback atop the 2024 NFL Draft. I will say this: If we go down that road, I wanna do right by Justin as well. No one wants to live in gray. I know that's uncomfortable. I wouldn't wanna be in that situation either. So we'll gather the information. We'll move as quickly as possible. We're not gonna be in a rush. And (we'll) see what presents itself and what's best for the organization."Ryan Poles / Cody Benjamin, CBS Sports
I do think the team ultimately trades Fields and resets at QB, but could this mock draft be their future?
Chicago Bears Mock Draft: Justin Fields or bust?
7th Overall Pick (via TEN): Olu Fashanu, LT, Penn State
OK, so let's break this down a bit. I accepted two trade offers to move from the first overall pick down to the 7th overall pick, and the compensation is listed above. Landing at the 7th overall pick lands us Olu Fashanu from Penn State, a franchise-caliber, day-1 starter at the LT spot. This gives fields two very good, young talents in Fashanu and Darnell Wright, a 2023 rookie.
11th Overall Pick (via MIN): Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia
Another trade down from the Bears' own first-round pick nets them Brock Bowers with the 11th overall selection. Bowers can be deployed as a big wide receiver and can form a lethal duo with stud TE, Cole Kmet. As of now, the Bears have drafted a franchise LT and another explosive playmaker on offense. Justin Fields should be feeling very good about this draft so far, and the Bears still have a ton of draft capital left.