Justin Fields, QB, Bears
Fields was hung out to dry as a rookie.
Allen Robinson missed 5 games and labored through his worst season when active. Elsewhere, this squad simply lacked difference-makers.
The same held true along the O-line. Per Football Outsiders, the Bears allowed a league-high 9.5% adjusted sack rate.
Now, year 2 gives way to a new coaching staff. But no major O-line upgrades. And no significant WR additions.
Third-round WR Velus Jones provides some big-play pop. Maybe — maybe — he’ll pair well with Fields' excellent deep ball. Jones just doesn’t profile as a steady, long-term contributor. We’re talking about a 25-year-old rookie who topped 280 yards in just 1 of 6 college seasons (807 in 2021).
Perhaps he’s an outlier. But it’s simply bad process to bet on a guy with Jones’ pedigree.
The Bears will enter 2023 with a ton of cap space, so year 3 could be where they really stock up. Still, it’s puzzling as to why this braintrust is essentially wasting another year of Fields’ rookie deal.