Hall of Fame QB sounds the alarm on Bears' Justin Fields
Rushing for 1,143 yards last season and scoring 20 total touchdowns over his final nine games of 2022, quarterback Justin Fields entered this season as a dark-horse MVP candidate. Yet, the shine has worn off just three games into his 2023 campaign.
Sitting at 0-4 on the young season, doubts surrounding Fields' viability as a starting quarterback have risen to extreme heights. Among those voicing their concerns is Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner, who is sounding the alarm on the third-year signal-caller's lack of development.
“The beautiful thing is that he’s had some success while he’s learning how to play the quarterback position. But I just don’t think he sees it very well right now. It’s worrisome to me when I watch him play ’cause I don’t know if he knows what he’s looking at," Warner told Steve Serby of the New York Post. "He’s played a lot of football, and it doesn’t seem to be getting better."
Selected No. 11 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, Fields was pegged as the hopeful savior for a franchise that has not won a playoff game since 2010. Instead, Fields has gone just 5-24 as a starter while the team has not won a game since Oct. 24, 2022.
Over the first three games of 2023, Fields ranks last in the NFL with a 21.3 QBR while averaging just 175.3 passing yards per game. His play from the pocket continues to be alarming, readily holding onto the football too long and struggling to process coverages in a timely manner. Fields' interception percentage has risen to 4.5% from the 3.5% mark he posted last season, and he's been sacked 13 times on 114 dropbacks — tied for second-most in the NFL.
Fields and the Bears have a must-win game with the Denver Broncos on Sunday. If Fields struggles to impress against a Broncos defense that surrendered 70 points in Week 3, it could confirm the doubts surrounding his long-term future in Chicago.
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