Chicago Bears News: Sounds like the NFL better be ready for a Justin Fields breakout

There are plenty of haters when it comes to Justin Fields. I've read plenty of analysts and fans from other teams talking about how the Chicago Bears made a mistake trading away the first-overall pick and retaining Justin Fields. Most thought the team should go with either C.J. Stroud or Bryce Young instead. Ryan Poles said early in the offseason process the team would need to be blown away by the 2023 NFL Draft prospects and well, they obviously were not.

Instead, it sounds as though the staff has been blown away by Justin Fields and his progress. The Chicago Bears held rookie minicamp this week and Luke Getsy made a comment he did not have to make -- one that leads me to believe the NFL should be on the lookout for a breakout performance by Justin Fields. Getsy was not one to throw out a bunch of "coach speak" last offseason and I don't think he's starting to do that now either.

"The growth of Justin Fields where he was last year at this time to now is 'light years ahead.'"

- Luke Getsy, Chicago Bears OC

We already saw Justin Fields receive a single MVP vote in 2022. That had more to do with his legs than his arm. However, if you did not notice the progress that Fields made in all facets of his game -- outside of short-yardage throws -- then you were not watching the games. Fields is not just a running back. The Chicago Bears were lucky enough to land the top pick in the draft while simultaneously not needing a quarterback.

This benefit led to Ryan Poles trading the first-overall pick for a true WR1 in D.J. Moore. The addition of Moore gives Justin Fields a reliable target on every play. The combination of Moore, Chase Claypool and Darnell Mooney is 1000% better than what this team started with at the wide receiver position last year. Now add in a weapon like Tyler Scott and this offense should explode onto the scene in 2023.

Just a quick reminder that Justin Fields already started to show growth to end the 2022 season. From Week 5 to the end of the year, Justin Fields averaged 252 total yards per game. He threw 15 passing touchdowns and ran in another eight for a total of 23. During that span, he only threw seven interceptions. His quarterback rating was 92.18 and he completed over 62% (over 65% if you remove the Lions game) of his passes. The Chicago Bears are in good hands the NFL better be prepared.