Whispers linking Bears' Justin Fields with Browns continue after combine

Whispers about the Cleveland Browns possibly making a move for Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields emerged earlier this offseason and didn't quiet down through and beyond the NFL Scouting Combine. 

"I don’t think the Browns have a good quarterback on the roster (see: all of Deshaun Watson’s film since he returned from suspension)," Ben Solak of The Ringer explained in a piece published on Monday. "They would benefit from a low-risk, high-reward swing on the upside of Fields. If they find a starter in Fields, they can escape out of the back door of what is proving to be a catastrophically bad Watson contract."

The Browns acquired Watson from the Houston Texans in March 2022 and subsequently signed him to a fully guaranteed five-year, $230M contract. He's thus far started just 12 meaningful games for Cleveland, was most recently shut down with a season-ending shoulder injury in November, and watched as veteran Joe Flacco won four of five starts to help the 2023 Browns reach the playoffs. 

Chicago, meanwhile, could soon finalize the decision to grab USC Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams with the first pick of this year's draft. The Bears have seemingly already made Fields available to other clubs. Still, James Neveau of NBC Sports Chicago mentioned that ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reported during a Monday appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" that he doesn't "think the market for (Fields) is as robust as the Bears and he had thought." 

The Atlanta Falcons and Pittsburgh Steelers were previously linked with Fields but may be going in different directions at quarterback ahead of this year's draft. On Monday evening, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN suggested the Las Vegas Raiders may try to sign Russell Wilson once he's officially released by the Denver Broncos at the start of the new league year on March 13.

"We know that Cleveland is interested in mobile quarterbacks (Josh Dobbs, P.J. Walker, and Dorian Thompson-Robinson were all either in camp or starting games for them last season)," Solak continued. "We know that analytically minded general manager Andrew Berry should always be interested in high-upside gambles at the quarterback position. And we know that new (Cleveland offensive coordinator) Ken Dorsey has worked with a big-bodied, physical QB runner before in Buffalo with Josh Allen. The fit is good." 

The Browns reportedly replaced former coordinator Alex Van Pelt with Dorsey in part because Dorsey's prior experience suggests he may be able to help Watson turn back into an elite signal-caller. Berry has given no public sign he wants to move on from Watson this spring, and Fields' club will have to either exercise or decline his option worth around $25.7M for the 2025 season by the May 2 deadline for those decisions.