With the season nearly a wash, the Chicago Bears need to focus on the development of Justin Fields. Winning games is fine, but having Fields ready to go in 2022 is of utmost importance.
The Chicago Bears enter their Week 13 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals with their season on the brink. They just ended their five-game losing streak with a win against the Detroit Lions. That win raised their record to 4-7.
Under normal circumstances, that record basically signals an end to a team’s season. This is not a normal season, however. For one, there is an extra game. That makes the playoff race closer. That brings up the second point. At 4-7, the Bears are still just one game behind the Washington Football Team for the final playoff spot.
That makes Bears fans hopeful for another playoff berth. The problem with that is that there are also a few other teams in the hunt. The Bears aren’t the only team that is a game behind Washington. There are six other teams in that position. That means if the Bears hope to make the playoffs they have to leapfrog over seven other teams.
The Bears are in a unique position. They can technically make the playoffs, but they can also end up with the third overall pick. Of course, that pick goes to the New York Giants thanks to the trade that brought quarterback Justin Fields to Chicago.
Speaking of Fields, the Bears need to concentrate on his development. He has all the tools to be a franchise quarterback. He’s had his ups and downs this season, but he’s shown flashes of what makes him such a hopeful prospect. For the rest of the season, the team’s main concern should be his development.
The Chicago Bears roster next season will be completely different
Fields needs to have as much experience and get used to seeing as much as possible this season. He can use the rest of the season as a learning experience. He needs to be ready to step up next season and be ready to bloom. The Bears have 31 players in the last year of their contract. They’ll be potential free agents after the end of the season. The majority of them won’t resign. In addition, there are a handful of other players who have buyouts and will also become free agents.
What that means is that the Chicago Bears roster will look radically different than it does now. The team will have a ton of salary cap space to work with. This could have a fast turnaround and become an instant contender. Of course, who the Bears have to build the new roster is still up in the air, as is who will lead the new players on the field.
Having Fields as the quarterback certainly makes the team more attractive. Free agents will love to play with a talented quarterback like Fields. If the Bears get it right, next season could be a lot more fun.
Wins are okay, but Fields’ development is the main goal
For this season, however, the plan should be to get Fields ready so when he gets a better team around him, he’s ready to lead it to success. Sure, we all want the Bears to win games and make the playoffs. If the wins come, that’s great. If they don’t, though, that’s okay as well. Win or lose, Fields’ development should be the main concern.
We see how the connection between Fields and Mooney is taking shape. Mooney has back-to-back games with over 120 receiving yards. We see how their work together is paying off now. Imagine having that same chemistry with Cole Kmet at tight end and a veteran top-flight free agent receiver.
Many people might think that head coach Matt Nagy needs to win so he keeps his job. If he shows the ability to help develop Fields, however, there might be hope. However, he hasn’t shown that so far so he might not survive either way.
As long as the Chicago Bears develop Fields this season, there is still something to look forward to for the next six weeks. If we see more consistency from him and he is ready to take a bigger step forward next season with a better roster, the rest of this season can still be considered a success, even if they don’t come up with many wins.
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