Once upon a time, the Chicago Bears saw a portion of their fan base split over an eventual Justin Fields trade. There were some who had been so committed to Fields as "the guy," but as the story goes, Poles traded Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers and officially moved into a new era.
That new era, of course, is now led by quarterback Caleb Williams and first-year head coach Ben Johnson after a miserable (half) season headed up by Matt Eberflus. Now, Williams and Johnson have the Bears headed in the right direction. Meanwhile, Fields is on his third NFL team and, unfortunately, has continued to prove Poles right.
Now the starting quarterback for the New York Jets, Fields took on the Carolina Panthers under new Jets head coach Aaron Glenn and, sadly, he wasn't able to finish the game. Fields played so poorly that Glenn opted to bench him in favor of veteran Tyrod Taylor.
Justin Fields' benching continues to prove Ryan Poles made the right call for the Bears
Before being benched, Fields was just 6-for-12 for 46 yards and had taken three sacks. He had a passer rating of only 59.7.
But, what about making plays with his legs? Fields carried it four times for 22 yards; so there was nothing spectacular in that aspect, either.
Not that too many fans balked at the idea of Poles keeping Fields and trading the first overall pick that ultimately landed Williams, but those who are active on social media know that these folks do exist. There were plenty of fans who questioned moving on from Fields for quite some time (and maybe they still do, hilariously enough).
Fields was always a phenomenal athlete and could make a game-changing play with his legs, but his inability to play the quarterback position will be his downfall. He still doesn't see the field all that well and has a difficult time throwing his receivers open.
He may be exciting at times, but Fields has shown on three different teams, now, why he just can't be a franchise quarterback. It is tough to admit, even for this Fields fan, but it's as close to a fact as any. Barring a miraculous turnaround on yet another team, similar to a Baker Mayfield or Sam Darnold, Fields is probably going to be a career-long backup.
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Meanwhile, Poles banking on Williams, instead, is working out a whole lot better for Chicago.