It may not have been the season that Chicago Bears fans wanted, but a year after finishing with the worst record in the league, the Bears made a four-win improvement and are in a much more favorable position than they were a few months ago. Chicago was 0-4 to start the season and it looked like the team would again be among the worst in the league. But, sparked by the return of Justin Fields, the Bears went 4-2 over their last six games to flirt with a .500 finish.
Chicago now has an offseason ahead filled with interesting decisions. The Bears have the ninth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft as a result of their league finish and also own the number-one overall pick in the draft. That top pick was part of last year's trade with the Carolina Panthers in which the Bears traded down from the top pick to acquire wide receiver DJ Moore Carolina's 2023 first-round selection at #9, a 2023 second-round pick (No. 61), a 2024 first-round selection and a 2025 second-round pick.
Chicago must decide whether it wants to keep the top pick or trade down again. In doing so, the team also must consider the future of quarterback Justin Fields. Fields has one more year left on his rookie deal and the Bears could choose to select an elite quarterback prospect like Caleb Williams or Drake Maye with the number-one pick. Trading down would likely signal that the team still trusts Fields to be their QB of the future.
While this debate is ongoing, the Bears must trade their #1 pick and keep Justin Fields for the future.
Bears must build around Fields
For the first time in his three-year career, Justin Fields had a true number-one receiver in D.J. Moore. Moore finished with 96 catches for 1,364 receiving yards (sixth-most in the NFL) to go with eight touchdowns. All three categories were career-highs for the former Panther.
Justin Fields' stats improved as well. Fields' passing yards per game improved by 48 yards per game from last year while he posted the best touchdown-to-interception ratio of his career. In the first half of the year, Fields had two games with four touchdowns (both career bests), and once he returned from injury, the third-year QB closed the season by winning four of six starts.
Could Caleb Williams or Drake Maye be better quarterbacks than Justin Fields? That is very possible. But trading down from the top pick will likely Net the Bears three first-round picks in the 2024 draft. With that kind of draft capital, Chicago can finally give Fields the weapons he needs to be successful. The improvement with the addition of D.J. Moore was apparent; add another talented wideout like Marvin Harrison Jr., and Fields suddenly has a legitimate receiving corps.
Chicago can also use one of those picks to take a lineman and shore up an offensive front that gave up the seventh-most sacks in the NFL in 2023. No team in the bottom 10 in sacks given up made the playoffs this season — emphasizing the importance of a strong offensive line.
Even if Justin Fields does not prove to be the QB of the future, it was much easier to have a strong foundation that sets a new quarterback up for success rather than having to rebuild with a new QB and a weak team around him. Trading down from the #1 pick this year gives Chicago the assets to build a competitive team regardless of who is at quarterback.
Follow Us
Subscribe