If you clicked on this article, you're either genuinely curious or think I am crazy that I believe Justin Fields could be the first Bears quarterback to surpass 4,000 passing yards next season.
No matter where you stand, I appreciate you. Now let's dig in.
Justin Fields is one of the more polarizing players heading into the 2023 season. Some believe he can take a Jalen Hurts leap in year 3 and others think he is extremely overhyped. I like to think I stand somewhere in the middle. But today I am going to write about the best case scenario for Fields, which could make me fall on the side of extreme optimism. However, it's July and this is a time where everyone can be excited about their team, quarterback, etc.
Justin's Supporting Cast Is Significantly Better
Yeah, this might be an obvious one but allow me to name off the wide receivers on the Bears roster heading into the 2022 season.
- Darnell Mooney
- Byron Pringle
- Equanimeous St. Brown
- Velus Jones Jr.
- N'Keal Harry
- Dante Pettis
- Tajae Sharpe
Now let's look at the group heading into 2023.
- DJ Moore
- Darnell Mooney
- Chase Claypool
- Equanimeous St. Brown
- Tyler Scott
- Dante Pettis
- Velus Jones Jr.
I probably could stop there as these additions alone are massive but I won't for the sake of this article. Next up is the Bears offensive line which has improved drastically as well.
2023 Projected Starters:
LG Teven Jenkins
RG Nate Davis
No more Sam Mustipher starting at center. Lucas Patrick will come off the bench even though he could start on other teams.
What a time to be alive.
Now David Montgomery's departure hurts my heart. But I don't necessarily think it will hurt the Bears on the field.
Khalil Herbert is ready for a bigger role. They also added D’Onta Foreman via free agency and drafted highly valued Texas RB Roschon Johnson. It will be a RB room by committee and that's okay. Not to mention, your quarterback having the ability to take it to the house at any moment definitely helps keep the defense honest. The TE room added former Packer Robert Tonyan who will allow the team to keep Cole Kmet fresh. Kmet played like 99% of the offensive snaps last season so an addition like Tonyan is perfect. I expect more consistency from Cole in 2023 which should help his numbers and fantasy value if you're into that. All in all, the excuses from last year are no more. So good job, Poles. Now it's time for Justin to put it altogether.
For the First Time In The NFL Fields Will Have Consistency
This off-season is the first time since college that Justin Fields won't have to learn a new offense. Luke Getsy returning can't be talked about enough. This duo can now build on last year's progress all while having more weapons at their disposal. The days of calling a HB draw on 3rd and long are over. The scheme will still be run heavy but as we heard from OTA and mini-camp, there is already a significant emphasis on the passing game. Training camp should be no different. The acquisition of DJ Moore only solidifies this. NFL defenses are also going to do their very best to contain Justin Fields legs (not easy to do) and make him beat them with his arm. This will lead to more passing attempts which in-turn should lead to more yards. I believe Fields only had two games in 2022 with 25+ passing attempts. This will not be the case in 2023.
It's A New Era In The NFL
It's a passing league. There is no other way to say it. It's never been harder to be a defensive player as the new rules have given the advantage to the offensive side of the ball. Like I mentioned earlier, Justin Fields will have better weapons and more consistency around him along with an entire season that consists of 17 games to break the 4,000 yard mark. If Fields can stay healthy and play an entire season, I have no doubt he can be the guy to do it for Chicago. After all, there was a four game stretch where the Bears went absolutely nuclear, putting up 30+ points a game. Now we get to see Fields with a better supporting cast. That fires me up.
I also want to throw in a random fact that many people forget. Given all that went on last season, the ups and downs, Justin Fields was still one of 15 players to receive at least one NFL AP MVP Vote. Does this mean much? Probably not. But it could be a sign of things to come for the 24 year-old.
Barring serious regression, Chicago might finally have a franchise quarterback and their first 4,000 yard passer. I can feel it.
