Heading into Week 10 of the NFL season, the Chicago Bears have lost two games in a row and four of their last five, but the mood surrounding the team is anything but desperate.
That’s largely due to the emergence of second-year quarterback Justin Fields, who has, put simply, been one of the best and most effective QBs in the league over the past month.
Over his last five starts, Fields has completed 63% of his passes for eight touchdowns and two interceptions while also adding 455 yards and three scores on the ground, averaging a whopping 7.98 yards per carry.
The 23-year-old signal-caller is coming of a record-setting performance in the Bears’ Week 9 loss to the Miami Dolphins, breaking former QB Michael Vick’s record for most rushing yards during a regular season game (178). With Fields emerging as one of the league’s most promising young talents, one former NFL executive has some strong thoughts on how the team should build around him moving forward.
Ex-NFL GM Randy Mueller: Bears Finally Got it Right With Fields
Breaking a Michael Vick record. 😳
An unreal performance from @justnfields ended with him having the most rushing yards by a QB in a regular season game (178).
Oh, he had 4 touchdowns too. 🔥
Former NFL executive Randy Mueller, who was named Executive of the Year in 2000 when he served as general manager of the New Orleans Saints, has over 20 years of front office experience in the league. Mueller spoke to Heavy’s NFL insider Matt Lombardo about Fields, and he says the Bears finally got it right with their second-year QB.
“I think Justin Fields is their future, and if they don’t realize that now after the last couple of weeks, I don’t know that they ever will,” Mueller told Heavy’s NFL insider Matt Lombardo on The Matt Lombardo Show.
“I think we’ve been trying to ram a square peg in a round hole for a year and a half in Chicago, not all on this staff, but at least these guys finally got it to where now Justin Fields has a chance,” Mueller added. “I think you can see it in his body language, you can see it in his facial expressions. The kid is genuinely buying in now to what they’ve done the last couple of weeks. So I think it’s a big change.”
Mueller told Lombardo that with the growth and potential Fields has shown, priority No. 1 should now be building up the offensive line.
Addressing the Offensive Line Is Next Huge Step for Bears
The Bears traded for wide receiver Chase Claypool ahead of the trade deadline, giving Fields another weapon on offense. Mueller says addressing an offensive line that has given up 33 sacks in nine games should be priority No. 1.
“I think Justin Fields is the future in Chicago, and that coaching staff has to has to find a way to author a system that accentuates his skill sets — I think they did that, so I think they are on their way,” Mueller added. “Claypool definitely helps, but … I want to see the rest of this offensive line, how it gets built out.”
Solidifying the offensive line will be key for the Bears moving forward. Teven Jenkins has emerged as the team’s best young O-lineman at right guard; his 78.8 overall grade from PFF is by far the best on Chicago’s line. Adding a well-established veteran next year while also snagging a few brutes in the draft could go a long way to helping Fields, who is still coming into his own.
“He’s not a polished product,” Mueller said about Fields. “We all understand that. But for the first time in a year and a half, I see development having been started there and I think there’s enough there to endorse him going forward.”
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Former NFL GM Has Strong Words for Bears on Justin Fields