During the offseason, plenty of rumors were firing up about the new General Manager Ryan Poles and his thoughts on Justin Fields. Some thought that because the Chicago Bears did not go out of their way to bring in big-name free agents to help Fields that the new front office is not sold on him.
When the team went defensive players with both of their top 50 picks the sentiment started to grow. However, the selection of Velus Jones in the third round calmed all doubts in more ways than one.
No, I am not saying that by drafting a third-round wideout that the Bears all of the sudden have a complete offense for Fields. It is more about what Poles said about Jones. Poles said that Jones was a player that he watched with Justin Fields last week and got his input on before the 2022 NFL Draft.
‘We watched tape together this past weekend and Jones was on the list,” said Poles. “We watched players, and I want to be able to communicate with my quarterback so he understands from me where we are going.”
This speaks to Poles confidence in Fields in two ways. To start, Fields obviously approves of Velus Jones, and that is important. Beyond that, it is the reality that Poles cares about what Fields thinks about Jones.
If Poles did not have faith in Fields he would be putting the pieces that he liked the most and would not worry about the input of his young quarterback. Drafting a player that Fields liked, and that Fields sees how he fits before the pick came in shows that the pick is being made with Fields in mind. That is not the type of move you make for a quarterback that you may be getting rid of next offseason.
We have heard for years that even Aaron Rodgers does not have this type of input with his front office. To see the Bears go all-in on being open with Fields shows that there is not a hidden agenda behind the scenes.