The Chicago Bears Made The Right Call On Justin Fields

After trading the first overall pick to the Carolina Panthers, the Chicago Bears have been the talk of the town all week. The Bears weren’t in need of a quarterback despite what the talking heads on sports networks said. By trading down to the ninth spot, the team proved their commitment to Justin Fields. After all, Fields showed his ability to make plays as the season went on. Why would the team trade a playmaker for a draft pick who may or may not work out? The gamble in drafting an unproven rookie doesn’t always pay out, so what’s the worst that could happen?

Justin Fields has been with the Chicago Bears just shy of two years and major networks were already saying they should trade the player and not the pick? What in the name of laziness is that take? As soon as a guy isn’t the next Tom Brady or Peyton Manning these clowns will throw them under the bus before it’s even out of park. Did they forget that he is one of only three quarterbacks to have rushed for 1,000 yards in a single season?

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Is there a talented group of young quarterbacks in this year’s draft? Absolutely. That shouldn’t sway the Chicago Bears though. Every year there are talented quarterbacks in the draft, and every year plenty of them turn out to be busts. Remember when Brady Quinn was projected to be a top draft pick and fell? Remember Johnny Manziel being the next big thing? JaMarcus Russel was a huge prospect and didn’t work out. Tim Tebow stuck around a bit, but he turned out to be in over his head. Nothing against those guys personally, but why would a team shift from a developing quarterback to a draft pick who hasn’t taken a single snap in the NFL? You could argue that a proven talent could fetch far better than the first overall pick, but the Bears didn’t need that pick to be a QB.

By trading down, Chicago essentially picked up more draft picks, got another weapon for Fields, and gave themselves more freedom in this draft. By getting extra picks in the middle rounds, there will be teams looking to trade up into rounds two and three to not miss out on their targeted players. If the Bears can get their first pick right, probably a good defender, they can move more picks in other rounds to move back and find hidden gems and solidify more of their missing pieces.

As it stands, when you’re the worst team in the NFL in terms of wins and losses, one player isn’t going to change that fact. It’s almost as if these major networks forget that. If the Chicago Bears made a unilateral move and moved on from a good QB to another good QB, they would have gained nothing. Maybe they would’ve upgraded the position, but that’s not a guarantee. Even if it was, a team who only won 3 games all year is highly unlikely to turn into a Super Bowl contender in one offseason. By giving up the first pick the Bears can start the rebuilding process around Justin Fields and that was the right move to make.