Former Chicago Bears All-Pro Lance Briggs prefers Justin Fields to Caleb Williams at the QB position
The Chicago Bears have lacked a star quarterback for the duration of their franchise. They’re one of the only teams in the NFL that has never had a true elite signal caller. Many around the Bears camp this offseason said current QB Justin Fields could possibly be the answer, but after a pretty dismal start from Fields and the rest of the team, the fanbase is worried about his potential. Or lack thereof.
What are things you look for as a NFL GM, when trying to find your future QB? There’s usually a checklist. Leadership, talent in general, ability to handle pressure on and off the field, and nowadays, mobility probably fits in there somewhere. Justin Fields, to some, checks a few of those boxes. However, as a passer, Fields still has lots to improve. He won’t even play this week, as he has a thumb injury. The questions about him being the long-term guy for the Bears are starting to heat up, as they’re just 1-5 on the young season.
But what about Caleb Williams, the projected number one pick in the 2024 NFL Draft? Could he potentially be the guy? The Bears are looking at not one, but maybe TWO top three picks in the draft, so they’ll have lots of options.
Williams has elite arm strength, mobility, and in my opinion shows a great deal of leadership and accountability at such a young age. Sure, he had a rough game against Notre Dame last week, but anyone overreacting to four quarters of football needs to relax. Williams is an elite talent in general, and when you compare him to the last few top QB’s, he sticks out like a sore thumb. At least his film does.
I wouldn’t be opposed to the Chicago Bears taking a chance on the top guy available. Justin Fields hasn’t proven much this year and coming from someone who had high hopes on him coming into the season. but it seems that not everyone shares that same feeling.
Former All-Pro Chicago Bears linebacker Lance Briggs joined ESPN 1000 Radio to discuss what his thoughts were on Caleb Williams, and why he prefers Justin Fields when comparing the two.
Lance Briggs says he'd rather keep Justin Fields than draft Caleb Williams.
Full show: https://t.co/LDSmnwzWHp pic.twitter.com/Fu60FgEc6d
— ESPN 1000 (@ESPN1000) October 17, 2023
Above, Briggs says “I have a Caleb Williams on my team right now!” referring to Justin Fields, when he was asked about what the Chicago Bears should or shouldn’t do with the number one overall pick, assuming they get it. The Carolina Panthers continue to lose, making Ryan Poles look like somewhat of a genius after the off-season trade.
What should the Chicago Bears do with their top picks, assuming they have them by seasons end?
Lance Briggs also mentioned he’d go offensive line before drafting another scrambling-style QB, saying “It wouldn’t make any sense to not address any of the other problems.” He also said if the Chicago Bears were to replace Fields this season, he’d replace not only the player, but the play style. Meaning he’d target a true pocket passer rather than a mobile mold.
It makes sense, not wanting to try and hide the obvious other issues plaguing the team. The defense is still suspect at best, the offensive line hasn’t been as bad as I anticipated, but it’s still not good by any means. The coaching staff is the real problem, but let’s not even get into that right now.
Briggs makes some good points in this clip, but I ultimately don’t agree. I think if Justin Fields can’t show some more progression in the second half of this season, the Bears need to move on. You need to win in this league and there just simply hasn’t been enough of that happening recently to justify hanging on for another season.
We’ll see what the next 6-8 weeks bring, but as far as I’m concerned, they’ll likely be a new QB in town for the 2024 Chicago Bears.
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