NFL Execs Claim Justin Fields' Demise Will Come Via The Bears Tackles

While Matt Nagy is getting most of the blame for the travesty that took place on Sunday in Cleveland, it wasn't just his fault. There were breakdowns across the board. Enough to where Justin Fields had no chance to even function in the face of that Browns defense. However, one area stood out more than others in the minds of NFL executives who have watched this season unfold and saw what happened. Mike Sando of The Athletic spoke to a number of high-ranking personnel people about why the 2021 rookie quarterback class is struggling so much this season. In their minds, the explanation isn't all that difficult. All of them are playing behind questionable offensive lines. They don't have the protection they enjoyed in college, and that is leading to these young guys being unable to function.

In Chicago's case, the problematic area sits on the edges.

“The common theme is that all four of their teams do not have good offensive lines,” an exec said. “The tackle situations in particular are problematic. If you don’t have good offensive lines, you don’t have the ability to be complementary, to take pressure off the quarterback. If he is seeing ghosts and you can’t run the ball, that is where you get the low point totals.” “Chicago’s biggest issue is, they don’t have any tackles, the Jets miss Becton and Jacksonville does not have a good line,” an exec said. “The Patriots spent on tight ends and receivers (in free agency). They haven’t really reestablished themselves at the tackle situation. All four struggle in the same spots.”

Never was this clearer than against the Browns dynamic duo of Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney. Garrett alone had 4.5 sacks. Jason Peters and Germain Ifedi were abused all game long. It was hard to watch. Peters was credited with allowing one sack and Ifedi gave up two. They almost seemed to give up pressure on every play. Fields may not have gotten the ball out fast enough, but that isn't fair considering it was his first start. Nagy crafted a game plan that was meant for a veteran like Andy Dalton. In fact, many who watched the game outright said it was the same offense the Bears had run the first two weeks with Dalton in the lineup. They didn't make any noticeable changes. The most egregious action was calling so many five-man protections with no help from tight ends or running backs. They expected Peters and Ifedi to fend for themselves. [video width="1920" height="1080" mp4="https://www.sportsmockery.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Myles-Garretts-5Sack-Game-NFL-2021-Highlights_1080p.mp4"][/video]

It's not like the Bears didn't see the danger for Justin Fields

One can simply say they ignored the problem. That isn't true. GM Ryan Pace did try hard to fix the tackle issue during the offseason. He attempted to lure All-Pro Trent Williams in free agency. Unfortunately, he chose to stay in San Francisco. Then he invested not one but two draft picks in tackles during the draft. A 2nd on Teven Jenkins and a 5th on Larry Borom. Both of them have since gone down with injuries. Jenkins had back surgery and Borom is nursing a high ankle sprain. So a lot of this situation isn't all incompetence. It is also lots of bad luck. The Bears didn't plan to stick with Ifedi at right tackle. They originally wanted him as a guard. They didn't plan to sign a 39-year old Peters off the street. There wasn't much choice given the health issues. Now Justin Fields is the one who must bear the brunt of this ugly reality. It would just be nice if he had a head coach that could make it a little easier for him.

Alas, he doesn't.

The good news is not every opponent has the pass rush Cleveland does. Fields should have it a bit easier next week against Detroit. Maybe that will help him gain a little bit of confidence and play better. Getting better play from the tackles would certainly help. Maybe Nagy might even call a game that makes sense for once.