There was plenty of speculation surrounding the future of Bears quarterback Justin Fields, which was the price of landing the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft.
But general manager Ryan Poles silenced those trade rumors when he traded the top pick to the Panthers.
While Fields will no doubt be Chicago’s QB1 in 2023, does it mean the Bears are all in on Fields moving forward?
At the very least, Chicago is all in on Fields in 2023, where the intent is to build a better roster around the third-year quarterback. The team traded the top pick for two first-rounders, two second-rounders and wide receiver DJ Moore.
There’s been a concerted effort to build around Fields — with skill position players and shoring up the offensive line — so the Bears can get a true evaluation of Fields.
But, at the same time, the Bears have positioned themselves to be prepared if Fields doesn’t pan out. They’ll have an additional first-round pick in 2024 if they need to draft a quarterback. But the hope is that selection will be used to shore up the roster around Fields if he takes that next step in his development.
Bears Wire Podcast host Ryan O’Leary (@RyanO_Leary) and myself (@AlyssaBarbieri) discuss whether the Bears are all in on Fields after their offseason moves. Fields discussion begins around the 13:14 mark:
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