How do the Bears’ quarterbacks grade out?

The Bears went all in on Justin Fields in 2023. General manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus elected not to use the No. 1 overall pick on a rookie quarterback.

Instead, they traded the pick for a package that included star receiver DJ Moore and four additional draft picks. They were betting that Fields, with another year under his belt and more help on offense, would show great improvement in 2023.

So how did it go? Well, that depends who you ask. Here’s a breakdown of the Bears’ season at quarterback.

Positives

Adding Moore made a world of difference. Moore finished with 1,364 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. That was the fourth-most receiving yards in Bears history. Despite missing four games with a thumb injury, Fields threw for a career-high 2,562 yards, along with 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions. If he played a full 17-game slate, he would’ve been on pace for about 3,350 passing yards.

Fields had some solid games. Three times he surpassed 250 passing yards. He threw for a career-high 335 passing yards and four touchdowns against Denver in Week 4. He threw for four touchdowns the next week, too, when Moore went off for 230 yards.

Fields finished second among NFL quarterbacks with 657 rushing yards. Only Lamar Jackson’s 821 yards were more. He didn’t run quite as much as he did in 2022, but he was still efficient when he did.

Another positive was the addition of Tyson Bagent. The Bears found Bagent off the scrap heap of undrafted players. A Division II quarterback, Bagent exceeded all expectations and became the primary backup. In four starts when Fields was injured, Bagent went 2-2 as the starter.

Negatives

Fields went into the season with aspirations to throw for 4,000 passing yards. Now, after two full seasons as the starter, he has yet to hit 3,000 passing yards in a season. Early in the year, the Bears seemed to be trying to make Fields stay in the pocket longer. After a Week 2 game in which he was sacked six times, Fields publicly questioned whether the approach was working.

While there were some good games, there were also some duds. Five times he did not reach 200 passing yards (not counting the game when he injured his thumb). Fields, simply put, was inconsistent. The Bears went 5-8 in games Fields started.

The quarterback position turned the football over too often. Fields lost four fumbles, including some brutal fourth-quarter fumbles. He also threw nine interceptions. Bagent threw six interceptions in five appearances, including three in a loss at New Orleans, and lost two fumbles.

Defining moments

1. Denver meltdown: The Week 4 game against the Broncos was the Fields era in a nutshell. Fields showed great promise, throwing for 335 yards and four touchdowns. But the offense went stagnant down the stretch and Fields fumbled away a key scoop-and-score for the Broncos in the fourth quarter. The Bears blew a 21-point lead, which tied a franchise record.

2. Minnesota comeback: Fields twice lost fumbles in the fourth quarter against the Vikings in November. Instead of letting those mistakes define the game, Fields rebounded and led the offense on a field-goal scoring drive in the final minutes to win the game, 12-10, at U.S. Bank Stadium. Fields connected with Moore for a 36-yard gain to get into field goal range.

3. The Green Bay games: As always, there was quite a build up ahead of the Bears-Packers matchups. With Aaron Rodgers gone, this was supposed to be a chance for the Bears to take back the reins in the rivalry. Instead, the Packers whooped the Bears in Week 1, 38-20. Fields and the offense looked unimpressive.

In the Week 18 rematch, Jordan Love looked like the ascending quarterback in the NFC North. Fields threw for just 148 yards with no touchdowns.

Contract status

Fields remains under contract for 2024 and will cost $6 million against the salary cap. The Bears have a fifth-year option for the 2025 season that they can exercise anytime between now and May 2. Fields’ fifth-year option would cost approximately $22 million, per OverTheCap.com, and would be fully guaranteed.

Bagent is signed through 2025 and will become a restricted free agent in 2026.

Grade: B-

This is the same grade we gave the Bears quarterback room last year. Fields continues to show promise, but is inconsistent. Fields is not a bad quarterback, but is B-minus play from the QB enough?

Plan

Draft a quarterback first overall.

If the Bears didn’t have the No. 1 overall pick, this would be a different conversation. But they do. Poles passed on a chance to draft “his guy” at No. 1 last year. Few GMs are likely to pass on that opportunity twice.

That most likely means the Bears are drafting USC’s Caleb Williams, who is widely considered the favorite to be the top pick.

The Bears could potentially trade Fields for a second-round pick and still come away from the 2024 draft with several starting-caliber players. It’s highly unlikely they would head into 2024 with both Williams and Fields on the roster. Not when Fields’ teammates have been so public in their support of Fields.

Hoping that Fields improves from B-minus to A territory won’t cut it. The Bears need to take action. They need to swing for the fences.