After spending four weeks on the sideline with a dislocated right thumb, Justin Fields will be returning to as the Chicago Bears starting quarterback this week against the Detroit Lions. Fields' return comes ahead of what is arguably the most important seven-game stretch of his three-year NFL career. In fact, you could make the case that Justin Fields' entire Bears career could come down to how well he performs these next seven games. And that means even though there will be no games with playoff implications, and nor any games with serious stakes related to the NFL Draft (thanks again, Carolina!), this is one of the most critical stretches in the recent history of the NFL's longest-tenured franchise… the franchise that I've been a fan of for my entire life.

Selfishly, I actually hope that the bar will be set pretty low for Justin Fields these next seven weeks. Now I know some of the numbers are pretty grisly, like the 6-25 record as a starter, the 32 fumbles, the 417 times he's been sacked (that's an estimate), but if you've watched as much of the Bears and thought about the team as often as I have for the last two and a half seasons, I'd be willing to bet that you've probably arrived at the same conclusion I have: the glimpses of greatness are there, and although it's inconsistent, we've never had someone with the ceiling that Justin Fields has playing quarterback for our team.

Given that this is unapologetically my position, you can imagine that I was quite pleased this morning when I read the following, courtesy of Ian Rapoport of NFL Network:

“Chicago needed to be blown away by a quarterback to select one in the 2023 draft and instead traded the pick. Sources say it's the same view heading into the 2024 draft. The Bears would need to be blown away by a rookie QB to move on from Fields.”

Yeah, this is something I can get behind. And I know that many teams are fully expecting to be “blown away by” Caleb Williams and Drake Maye in the pre-draft process, but this at least gives Fields the opportunity to fairly make his case on the field before we even get to the point where we're imagining a world where Williams or Maye is repping the Dark Navy and Orange.

Bears QB Justin Fields, with potential top draft picks Caleb Williams and Drake Maye

Now I say “fairly,” but let's be frank… it would be “fair” to Fields if he were being coached by a staff that was allowing his strengths to shine through consistently, but under “Magic” Matt Eberflus and Luke Getsy, Fields is still very often being hamstrung by poor game-planning and play-calling. I truly don't think Fields' skillset will be fully on display until he's being coached by someone other than Matt Eberflus or Matt Nagy or anyone named Matt for that matter. Let's just agree to no more Matt's in Chicago, cool? That at least would prevent Ryan Poles, Kevin Warren and the McCaskey's from hiring Matt Patricia or mafia don Matt Rhule.

For just a moment, if you'd be kind enough to indulge me, I'd love to put on my GM cap and play out the next six-ish months for the Chicago Bears. That cool?

The 2024 Chicago Bears?

Let's imagine that the Bears finish the season 6-11, which feels fair given their return to good health and a reasonable schedule. 6-11 would put Chicago somewhere around the 8th pick, and since the Carolina Panthers are in the driver's seat for the worst record in the league, that means that Chicago would have the #1 overall pick in the draft as well.

My guess for how the rest of the season plays out for Fields is he'll play a little more care free, he'll run the ball a little more than he has been so far this year (he's down to 39.5 yards rushing per game from 76.2 last season), and he'll do his best to establish an easily identifiable rapport with DJ Moore, even if it means forcing Moore the ball a little too much, if there is such a thing.

So that means we enter the offseason with the 1st and 8th picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, bushels of cap space, a more clear, and hopefully optimistic assessment of Justin Fields, and Lord willing, a revamped coaching staff. If I'm calling the shots in Chicago, I'm prioritizing defense in free agency. Re-sign Jaylon Johnson, bolster the defensive line, get a little more depth in the secondary.

Then, in the Draft, I'm trying to find a way to turn my 1st and 8th picks into the 3rd and 5th picks. Let another QB needy team come in and offer up a king's ransom for the #1 pick. Whether that be the Patriots, Giants, Cardinals, or even potentially the Falcons, it doesn't matter. I'm just trying to come away with Marvin Harrison Jr. and either Olu Fashanu or Joe Alt. Now the offense has got a potentially elite wide receiver duo in Moore and Harrison Jr., an offensive line that is suddenly a strength of the team, and a stable of running backs lead by Khalil Herbert, Roschon Johnson, and cheap veteran signing X. And just like that, we're cooking.

Of course, for this plan to potentially come to fruition, it comes down to these next seven games. Even I, an eternal Justin Fields optimist, will be discouraged if the inconsistent and timid play from Fields continues. When the Bears traded up in the draft to select Justin Fields, they did so knowing that the weight of the entire city of Chicago would be on his shoulders. Unfortunately, he often plays like it. And with a stretch so critical coming up, it's worrying that it'll be too much for him. But if this is too much for Fields, then it's simple that he's not the guy. But if he steps up and plays his best ball, there's still hope. And sometimes hope is all we need.