How should the Chicago Bears handle the Justin Fields situation?

The Chicago Bears should push for Justin Fields to sit until after the bye week

The upcoming matchup against the New York Jets is going to be a tall order. The Bears’ offensive line has struggled to keep Justin Fields upright in the pocket most of the season. The interior of the line has been the weakest area and the Jets have a great defensive lineman in Quinnen Williams. Williams has eight sacks on the year and he’s not a one-season wonder. He is coming off a six-sack season last year and a seven-sack season the year prior.

Sam Mustipher, Cody Whitehair and Teven Jenkins (assuming he starts) will have their hands full this week and that’s not a good sign for Justin Fields should he suit up under center. That said, it won’t be fun for Trevor Siemian either. However, Siemian isn’t the future — Justin Fields is. The Jets’ defense is one of the best in the league. They are tied with the fourth most sacks on the year (32) and they are ranked sixth in defensive DVOA. Not a great matchup for a banged-up QB.

Again, going back to the prior point, the best way for Justin Fields to continue to grow and develop is by seeing reps in actual games — not just practice. Fields has only started 21 games. That’s only four games more than a single season. He needs to continue to get reps or his 2023 season will likely start off slower than it needs to.