“Chicago Bears
They’re all in on Justin Fields (for now).
The best-case scenario for the Bears in 2023 is relatively straightforward. Justin Fields, with an upgraded supporting cast, makes a leap in his third year. He leaves no doubt that he’s their quarterback of the future, and the Bears can use the capital they accumulated from trading out of the no. 1 spot in the 2023 draft to build around him, and they emerge as an up-and-coming team in a wide-open NFC.
Fields started 15 games last season. Extended over the course of an entire season, the Bears’ performance in those starts would’ve ranked 20th in offensive expected points added per play. That was with arguably the worst supporting cast in the league. Fields’s legs and big-play ability gave the Bears offense a baseline of competency. This offseason, they added wide receiver D.J. Moore in the trade with Carolina for the no. 1 pick and made upgrades on the offensive line, signing guard Nate Davis and using a first-round pick on tackle Darnell Wright. Meanwhile, the Bears will go from having
the NFL’s fifth-hardest schedule a year ago
to having the fifth-easiest projected schedule in 2023. There’s a realistic scenario where they emerge as an exciting playoff team.”