NFL Exec Reveals Why Ryan Poles Will Move On From Justin Fields

Justin Fields seemed to get a lot of people in his corner last Sunday, guiding the Chicago Bears to their fourth win in five games with 313 total yards and two touchdowns. Fans chanted "We Want Justin" in the stands as the team wrapped up a 37-17 drubbing of the Atlanta Falcons. It was hard not to get caught up in the moment. The performance was as well-rounded as he's ever had in a Bears uniform. It is why many feel GM Ryan Poles has more than enough evidence to bypass taking a quarterback with the #1 overall pick and opting to keep Fields another year.

One longtime NFL executive doesn't seem to share that assessment. He spoke to Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune, explaining how he's learned to evaluate quarterbacks over a long career. There are certain categories that he's found often make or break players at the position. While Fields scores high in several areas, there is one where he is dangerously lacking. Arguably the most important one. Fans have seen it manifest way too many times over the course of his young career.

It all comes down to the 4th quarter.

“This league makes you make critical plays from the pocket,” the exec said. “And they’re going to force you to. Yes, you can do all sorts of other things. But there are some critical moments where (defenses) are going to say, ‘No, no, no, you are not leaving the pocket.’ And if you’re not a guy who can make enough plays from the pocket to keep them honest, you’re in trouble.”

The two 10s on his list? Thick skin — which he indicated should hold a 10-plus value for starting quarterbacks — and clutch production late in games.

“That’s where you win your championships,” he said. “You can get your team into the playoffs and not be a 10 there. We’ve seen plenty of quarterbacks do that.

“But without that? You’re never going to hoist the Lombardi (Trophy). You’re not going to go through the gauntlet of playoffs if you don’t have that.”

Ryan Poles has every right to worry about Fields in crunch time.

Since arriving in 2021, the quarterback has thrown 258 passes in the 4th quarter. He's completed only 56% of them with 10 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. He has five fumbles in the 4th quarter this season alone. Three of them led directly to losses for the Bears. There is no arguing this. Fields plays his worst football in the most important stretch of a game. This isn't exclusive to the NFL, either. The same thing happened at times in college. He had a chance to beat Clemson in the 2019 Fiesta Bowl before throwing an interception in the end zone. A few weeks earlier, he threw two interceptions in the second half that almost allowed Indiana to pull off a comeback upset.

This is not something that started in Chicago. Justin Fields has always had problems executing down the stretch. The only reason he isn't getting more heat for it is because the Bears defense and running game have managed to cover for him. Almost every time he's been asked to put together a drive late to either tie or win the game, it doesn't go well. This is an inescapable fact. That reality might be the decisive argument for Ryan Poles to make a change, even if it might not be the most popular decision among fans and the locker room.