Outside of trading Khalil Mack, the Bears' first two weeks of free agency was relatively quiet.

The team did sign Larry Ogunjobi, but that fell through due to a failed physical. The addition of Ogunjobi would've been considered one of the biggest signings of free agency, but it wasn't meant to be, unfortunately. Outside of Ogunjobi, general manager Ryan Poles brought in several different players to compete for starting jobs. But there wasn't much movement in regard to splashy signings.

That's not a bad thing, though. The "winners of free agency" often remain losers on the field. Poles made it clear from his introductory press conference that he prefers to build through the draft, so that's where the Bears' main focus probably lies in 2022.

Regardless of the circumstances surrounding free agency, the Bears' free agency additions don't immediately solve their issues on paper. We won't know until training camp -or even during the season- if these guys are the solutions or if they're just stop-gap players that keep the roster stocked until the Bears do find said solutions.

Therefore, ESPN has the Bears at No. 24 in their post-free agency rankings. Chicago has some quality players at certain positions, but overall, there are too many questions, right now.

Bears reporter Courtney Cronin wrote the following:

The Bears have taken a prudent approach to free agency with Ryan Poles, as the first-year general manager hasn't made any splashy signings. That patience could end up paying off, as Chicago could sign some veterans for cheap later this offseason, but the team needs to bring in at least one starting-caliber offensive tackle, another guard, a receiver and a corner. Year 2 of Fields' career is the most important for his development and in showing Chicago whether it has a franchise quarterback or needs to start thinking about taking another swing at one in 2023. The only way to find that out is by giving Fields an adequate amount of support to succeed this season.

The Bears have to fully commit to Fields in 2022

Chicago's front office and coaching staff did not draft Fields. There is no connection there outside of the fact they all work for the same franchise in 2022. However, Fields has the skillset to be a franchise quarterback and for now, he is the quarterback for Matt Eberflus and Co. in 2022.

It would be a major mistake for Eberflus to eschew weapons for Fields. And he doesn't just need to bring in a few weapons – he needs to bring in a lot of weapons.

For starters, the Bears don't have many difference-makers on offense in a general sense. That's never a good position to be in, but it's especially worrisome when you're trying to develop a potential franchise quarterback. Fields needs to have multiple options at receiver and tight end and then he needs multiple running backs and a stout offensive line that allows him to have the time to make the proper reads and progressions.

Setting up the best situation for Fields allows Eberflus and Poles to properly evaluate Fields in 2022. A proper evaluation can lead to an informed, accurate decision about what to do  with Fields in 2023 and beyond. It's smarter to figure out if Fields is the guy in 2022 opposed to tying yourself to him for the next three seasons (maybe four) and simply hope for the best. The last thing Eberflus and Poles need is a major change at signal-caller four years into the game. Just look at how that turned out for Nagy and Pace.

And the Bears won't know what Fields is fully capable of if no one around him can get open, break a tackle, or block.

The Bears can place priority on figuring out how to improve the rest of the team once they figure out what they have in Fields. And until that happens, many are going to question the overall state of the team, which is why ESPN has Chicago ranked where it is.

You can check out ESPN's full power rankings, here.

Featured image via Jon Durr-USA TODAY Sports