When new Bears general manager Ryan Poles met the media for the first time back in January, he talked about the importance of building around hopeful franchise quarterback Justin Fields.
It was music to Bears fans’ ears — what a novel concept to build around the most important player on the roster.
Now that we’re a couple of months into the new regime, it’s hard to look at this current roster and believe that it’s in better shape than how we left it at the end of the 2021 season.
While we’re just starting April, it’s hard to feel confident about how Poles has approached building around Fields. Sure, Poles noted that surrounding Fields with great coaches and a scheme that caters to his strengths will do wonders for him in Year 2. But what good will that do if he doesn’t have the protection up front or the weapons to throw to?
Poles took a rather conservative approach in free agency in regards to adding pieces around Fields. The Bears signed wide receivers Byron Pringle and Equanimeous St. Brown — both depth pieces with their former respective teams — and added Lucas Patrick and Dakota Dozier on the offensive line. Poles also missed out on Ryan Bates, whose offer sheet was matched by the Bills.
Again, it’s important to note that we’re only entering April, and there’s a lot of offseason yet to go and there will be plenty of new faces on the roster. Chicago will likely use some of their six draft selections to add to Fields’ supporting cast.
But where things currently stand, it’s fair to worry if Fields is being put in a position to succeed in 2022.
With the Bears’ offseason in full swing, host Ryan O’Leary (@RyanO_Leary) and myself (@AlyssaBarbieri) are discussing whether Fields is being set up for failure in Year 2 and previewing the upcoming NFL draft.
You can listen to the latest episode below:
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