NFL Exec Questions If Bears Gave Justin Fields 'Every Chance' to Improve in NFL Draft

An anonymous NFL executive questioned if the Chicago Bears surrounded quarterback Justin Fields with enough talent during the 2023 NFL draft.

According to Mike Sando of The Athletic, the exec said:

"If they are going to spend this year evaluating Justin Fields to see if they are going to be going up for a quarterback next year, you've got to give him every chance. Getting a solid tackle is the way to go. But when you turn Roquan Smith into Gervon Dexter and get Tyrique Stevenson with one of the Carolina picks, is that going to get us fired up?"

The Bears used the No. 11 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft to select Fields, and while they could have gone in another direction and taken a quarterback with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft, the Bears decided to trade down to No. 9 with the Carolina Panthers and double down on Fields as their franchise quarterback.

Chicago traded down one more spot to No. 10 and landed a potential blindside protector for Fields in Tennessee offensive tackle Darnell Wright.

The Bears' next three picks were on the defensive side of the ball, however, and out of their 10 draft picks, only three of them were offensive players.

The executive mentioned Chicago using the No. 53 overall pick in the second round—acquired in the Roquan Smith trade to the Baltimore Ravens—on Florida defensive tackle Gervon Dexter.

Chicago then traded up from No. 61 to No. 56, using a pick it acquired in the Carolina trade, and took Miami cornerback Tyrique Stevenson.

While Dexter and Stevenson could well be key parts of the Bears' defense moving forward, it is true that Fields may have benefited more from Chicago grabbing him an offensive weapon or another offensive lineman.

However, one key aspect of the Carolina trade to consider is the fact that the Bears received three-time 1,000-yard receiver D.J. Moore as part of the package.

Moore now slots in as Fields' No. 1 target in the passing game, moving wide receivers Darnell Mooney and Chase Claypool, as well as tight end Cole Kmet, into more reasonable roles.

In two NFL seasons, Fields is just 5-20 as a starter, and last season he completed 60.4 percent of his passes for 2,242 yards, 17 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 15 games while also rushing for 1,143 yards and eight scores.

Fields will continue to be a major threat with his legs, but his development as a passer is perhaps most incumbent upon those around him.

The Bears did make some upgrades to his supporting cast this offseason, but if those upgrades aren't good enough, Chicago will have a difficult decision next offseason regarding whether it should stick with Fields or move on.