When the Chicago Bears dealt the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft to the Carolina Panthers, they let the rest of the league know how they felt about quarterback Justin Fields and his potential to serve as the team’s new face of the organization.
The Bears choosing Fields over the other four great quarterback prospects in the draft—Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson, and Will Levis—was an intriguing and telling choice by the underachieving team.
Interestingly, with the draft behind the Bears, a story has surfaced claiming that teams throughout the league are not convinced by Fields’ potential to succeed as a pocket quarterback in the NFL.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler through Dov Kleiman, the Bears don’t seem to care what the rest of the league thinks since they think he’s the genuine deal.
Video: “There is some skepticism that exist among some team officials around the league about his ability to get it done as a pocket passer. Can he be that precision guy that you need from the pocket?”
Adds that the Bears believe the offseason upgrades will help him in a big way pic.twitter.com/bVTYIyclmf
Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) May 9, 2023
It makes sense that team officials from around the league would have doubts about Fields being the best candidate for the job long-term in Chicago given his 5-20 record as the Bears’ starting quarterback.
Nevertheless, Fields started to come into his own during the 2022 campaign, despite the fact that the team’s 3-14 record didn’t exactly reflect that development for the Ohio State product.
With over 1,100 rushing yards and eight touchdowns coupled with over 2,200 throwing yards, 17 passing touchdowns, and 11 interceptions, Fields established himself as a formidable force on the ground.
In comparison to his debut season in Chicago, the talented young quarterback scored 10 more touchdowns via the air and six more through the ground.
Fields may develop into the quarterback the franchise hopes he will be in 2023 as he is only beginning his career.
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