Why Chicago Bears should start Justin Fields

Let me get the obvious out of the way first, if Justin Fields is still injured in any way, the Chicago Bears should not start him. That is why he did not start last week. However, Fields says that he feels healthy, he is practicing in full, and with that in mind, the team should absolutely start him.

First off, it is easy for the fans to say that Justin Fields could easily get hurt, or that his teammates will let him down. However, the coaches and players are not thinking that. The coaches are thinking that they are ready to put Fields in a position to thrive, and the players around him are players they invested in and believed in.

Chicago Bears are right to start Justin Fields

Beyond that, no one in the NFL can walk around thinking that they are going to get hurt, that type of mentality would kill any player’s confidence, so it is not nearly the same factor.

If Justin Fields were healthy and the team did not start him, you would see him much more visibly upset. You would see that some players start to question whether the coaches prefer certain players, and the players also start to think the coaches have no confidence in them. Trevor Siemian feels like his health does not matter to the coaches if they think throwing Justin out there will surely get him hurt.

Justin Fields playing shows the team that he is just that, a member of the team. When the starting quarterback is healthy, he plays, that is what a leader of the team does.

Lastly, while Fields has proven everything and more as a runner, he is still showing growth as a passer. Do the Chicago Bears really just want to halt that for no reason other than fear that something may happen? He is getting better, but he is not Patrick Mahomes as a passer yet, there is still enough that live snaps will show that he cannot simulate this offseason.

The whole point of trading for Chase Claypool now, and waiting until the offseason was so that the two could develop chemistry. If Fields doesn’t get any more chances to play with Claypool, he essentially comes in just like a free agent signing.

Justin Fields has to start if he is healthy because he is a member of the team and a leader of the team. He has to develop more as a passer and has to get on the same page with a target they just acquired. Injuries happen, but they cannot live in fear and bench a healthy player.