Going into this NFL season, there was some hope that the Chicago Bears‘ Justin Fields would start to seriously emerge as a high-level quarterback and realize his potential.
But it hasn’t happened yet.
Fields played poorly in both of the Bears’ two games so far this season, and he appeared to blame his coaching staff for his struggles recently, although he later walked back those comments.
Former star wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson almost seemed to defend Fields’ claim that the coaching staff had him thinking too much by giving him too much instruction, via “Undisputed.”
.@keyshawn reacts to Justin Fields blaming coaches for “robotic” play:
“Young QBs need to be put in the right position for success. Sometimes there’s no real plan in place to make them be successful.” pic.twitter.com/R7Bnr0x80S
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) September 21, 2023
Through two contests, Fields has completed 60.6 percent of his passes and has thrown for 427 yards, three interceptions, and two touchdowns, resulting in a 70.7 passer rating.
When he was in college at Ohio State, his passing numbers were excellent, but he has yet to even come close to that type of production in the NFL.
While he has been a big threat running the football himself (he ran for 1,143 yards and eight touchdowns last year), Chicago isn’t going anywhere unless he develops as a passer.
During the offseason, Chicago attempted to get Fields some help when they traded the No. 1 pick in the draft to the Carolina Panthers for productive wide receiver DJ Moore.
Moore has put up 129 receiving yards so far this season, but his fine play has done little good for Fields’ development.
With a few easier opponents coming up, this is the time for Fields to prove the Bears were right to stick with him rather than use that No. 1 overall pick to take someone such as Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud.
NEXT: Michael Irvin Sides With Justin Fields Over Coaching Comments
