Ex-Bears coach Henry Burris claims Justin Fields is “on the right trajectory”
Former Bears offensive quality coach Henry Burris made a bold statement about Justin Fields. He says Fields is a better than every QB prospect in the 2024 NFL draft. He also indirectly suggests the Bears should look to other positions with the number one overall pick.
During the Sunday Marquee Sports Bears postgame show, Burris explained why he thinks the Chicago Bears should stick with Justin Fields at QB.
“When people talk about Justin Fields and the future, to me you can’t find anything in the draft better than Justin Fields. Because his trajectory is in the right direction, he’s the guy who is leading this team and since he’s been back, besides two games, the division North winner in Detroit and probably the hottest team in the AFC being the Cleveland Browns, the bears both had opportunities because of Justin fields plays to win those games. And if you bring in a young quarterback, you have no chance in heck to win those games. So to me, Justin Fields is the future and he is showing you just the reason why right now.” – Henry Burris
The full clip of Burris’ comments is provided below.
"To me, you can't find anything better in the draft than Justin Fields."
Henry Burris on Fields' trajectory with the Bears. pic.twitter.com/q09MC6SKG6
— Marquee Bears (@BearsMarquee) December 26, 2023
Burris brings up Fields ability to perform in the clutch
In the Bears last meeting with the Vikings, Justin fields had to lead the team on a game winning drive. Fields was able to overcome his mistakes earlier in the game. He went on to lead the bears into field goal range, so Cairo Santos could win the game.
Performing in the clutch is hard to teach, and even harder to do. Especially after having a poor game like Fields did that night. Fields has a total of 3 game-winning drives in his 3 year NFL career. That isn’t wildly impressive by any standard, but it is worth mentioning.
One part of Burris’ comments that is a bit questionable is his mention of the “right” trajectory. What is the right trajectory for Fields? He emerged as an elite rushing QB last season, but he hasn’t taken that next step as a passer this season. This season was supposed to be his breakout passing season, to show that he was the bears answer to the endless QB question.
That has not happened, and it has seemed like more of the same from Fields as far as offensive production goes. In his defense, his season was derailed near the midway point of the season after a thumb injury. The statement from before is still relevant, how long do the Bears wait for Fields to make that next step?
2024 marks a transitional year for the Bears
The Bears deciding to keep Justin Fields and not draft a QB could be dangerous for the Bears. If he doesn’t take that next step as a franchise QB in 2024, the Bears are stuck.
Fields rookie contract expires after the 2024 season. He has shown progress and improvement, but is it enough to convince Ryan Poles to keep Fields in town? Has he done enough for the Bears to offer him a contract extension for the future?
The worst case scenario is the Bears decide to keep Fields and he doesn’t take that next step in 2024. The Bears would be a solid team without a solid QB. Something relatively common in the NFL. Franchise QBs are hard to come by, they don’t grow on trees.
However, fields evolving into the answer for the Bears at QB would be the best case scenario, because he is already here. Developing a QB is difficult and so many things can go wrong during the process.
The QB carrousel has been revolving for past 20+ years in Chicago, the franchise needs a long term QB right now. The rest of the roster is coming together. The defense in a top 10 unit in the NFL, and the Bears also have a solid foundation in their receiving core with DJ Moore and Cole Kmet. Failing to find “the guy,” at QB will result in even more rebuilding.
A number of NFL insiders including Colin Cowherd seem to think that the Bears will move on from Fields when the draft arrives.
The Bears will almost certainly have the number one overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, thanks to the Panthers. That puts the Bears in a unique position to draft one of two highly touted QB prospects, Caleb Williams or Drake Maye. The Bears also have the chance to draft the best wide-receiver prospect since Calvin Johnson, Marvin Harrison Jr. Ryan Poles will have his choice of all the best prospects at all positions with the number one pick.
Henry Burris wants the Bears keep Fields and look to draft a different position first overall in April. The Bears have the chance of a lifetime with potentially two top 10 picks. The future of the franchise lies in the upcoming draft.
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