Following a rough rookie, Bears quarterback Justin Fields has a clean slate heading into his second year, where he’s learning a new offense that head coach Matt Eberflus promised will be quarterback friendly.
The expectation is Fields will take a step forward in Year 2, and he certainly appears to have a vote of confidence from Eberflus and new general manager Ryan Poles.
But Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio questioned whether the new regime actually believes in Fields following what’s been an uninspiring offseason where Poles has been tearing the roster down to build for the future.
“It feels like the Bears are deliberately taking a step back,” Florio said on 670 the Score’s Dan Bernstein Show. “And the problem is usually teams do that when they don’t have a QB they believe in…
“Maybe that’s the hidden message here — that the new regime doesn’t believe in Justin Fields. Because if they did, would they be tearing everything else down or would they be trying to build everything else up?”
Does new #Bears regime believe in Justin Fields? @ProFootballTalk: "It feels like the Bears are deliberately taking a step back. And the problem is usually teams do that when they don't have a QB they believe in."
Read: https://t.co/hZVaG6P97H
Listen: https://t.co/4U5zQLWfrM pic.twitter.com/xERGU1v2p4
— 670 The Score (@670TheScore) April 13, 2022
As you can imagine, that take didn’t go over well with Bears fans. It was certainly a unique conclusion about Chicago’s underwhelming offseason, where Poles hasn’t made any significant splashes. That’s due in large part to cleaning up the mess left behind by former GM Ryan Pace.
When looking at this current roster (with about five months until the start of the regular season), it’s hard not to wonder if the organization is doing enough to help Fields in Year 2. It’s concerning, yes. But it doesn’t necessarily indicate the Bears don’t believe in Fields.
Fans are absolutely dragging Florio for his ridiculous Fields take — and also counting the days until September so offseason takes like these can be done.
