For the first time in years, the Bears have legitimate hope at quarterback in the form of Justin Fields. The former Buckeyes star might finally be the person that both takes the Bears over the top. More importantly, he might be The Guy to help them join the modern NFL of competent offenses.
There is one caveat to Fields’ potentially simmering star: In Year 2, he’s probably going to have to do it by himself for the most part.
After the Bears decided to bolster their defense during the 2022 NFL Draft — while ignoring the addition of any premium receivers — they more or less put the offensive burden on Fields’ plate. That might be a dicey prospect for a still-developing player on a squad with a first-year head coach (Matt Eberflus).
Though, if matters break well for Chicago, they could surprise. They have a promising skeleton with up-and-coming playmakers on both sides of the ball like Roquan Smith, Darnell Mooney, and Jaylon Johnson. Whether that core amounts to anything is To Be Determined.
Here are the most important games of the Bears’ 2022 season, as Justin Fields tries to put his team, and himself, on the map.