Bears: National outlet predicts Justin Fields will make history in 2023
The Chicago Bears spent the majority of the offseason tracking down and adding various weapons on the offensive side of the football. Quarterback Justin Fields showed flashes of excellence in 2022, but many are setting the bar high for him entering his third season in the NFL. Added to Fields’ arsenal in the passing game […]
The Chicago Bears spent the majority of the offseason tracking down and adding various weapons on the offensive side of the football. Quarterback Justin Fields showed flashes of excellence in 2022, but many are setting the bar high for him entering his third season in the NFL.
Added to Fields’ arsenal in the passing game are WR D.J. Moore (trade), TE Robert Tonyan (free agency) and WR Tyler Scott (draft). He also will have WR Chase Claypool at his disposal after the Bears traded for him prior to last season’s deadline.
Fields captured the football world’s attention with magnificent runs and jaw-dropping throws. However consistency was his major flaw as the Bears finished the regular season with the worst record in the league.
General manager Ryan Poles and the Bears brass is making sure that won’t happen again. In fact, Chicago has surrounded Fields with such a dynamic supporting cast that one national media outlet is calling for a historic season from the 24-year-old dual threat.
Sports Illustrated recently released an article with 100 bold predictions heading into the NFL’s 2023 season. Here is what the author Conor Orr had to say about Fields’ prospects.
From SI: Justin Fields will have more than 40 total touchdowns
"I don’t think this is a brave prediction by any stretch, even if Fields scored only 25 total touchdowns last year (17 passing and eight rushing) in 15 games. The Bears got better everywhere offensively, and, at the very minimum, it’s going to further stress a defense that still has to account for Fields leaving the pocket. Luke Getsy, who will get a head coaching job after this year, gets to keep a supported Fields with a year of the scheme under his belt."
It should be noted that there has never been a Bears player to touch 40 touchdowns in a season. Eric Kramer (1995) and Jay Cutler (2014) currently sit atop the franchise’s single-season touchdown list with 30 combined scores.
Fields plays in a high-scoring era and possesses a rare skillset that caters to explosive plays. Moore, Tonyan, Claypool and Cole Kmet are fantastic redzone options and should help inflate his numbers each time Chicago enters the red area.
Fields can’t afford the inconsistencies that he endured last season if he has a chance to rewrite the Bears’ history books. With an improved group of pass-catchers and an upgraded offensive line, the sky is the limit for Fields in 2023.
Featured image via Daniel Bartel-USA TODAY Sports
