Cowboys All-Pro Defender Claps Back at Justin Fields Slander

Micah Parsons isn’t playing around when it comes to slander against Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields and his potential to make a jump in Year 3.

Parsons jumped to Fields’ defense on Twitter on Wednesday, calling out a fantasy football analyst who was mocking fans about the impact star wide receiver D.J. Moore could have on the development of the Bears’ third-year starting quarterback.

“Please don’t think DJ Moore –> Justin Fields is the same thing as AJ Brown –> Jalen Hurts [or] Stefon Diggs –> Josh Allen,” Fantasy Flock’s Mason Dodd tweeted May 10.

Parsons wasn’t having any of it, asking “how [it] isn’t?” in a quote tweet and then doubling down on his support in response to a fan who later wrote back, “Neither Moore or Fields are on the same level as the others.”

“Have you looked at [their] stats before Stefon got with Josh and AJ got with Hurts?! Without a true number one, these guys weren’t top 3 of the league!” Parsons tweeted.

Chicago’s decision to trade for Moore certainly does bear a resemblance to Buffalo’s acquisition of Diggs and Philadelphia’s draft-day trade for Brown. In both instances, the trades were made to provide a talented young quarterback heading into his third season with a true No. 1 receiver to help take his passing game to the next level, and now it seems the Bears are hoping to recreate the magic with Fields and Moore in 2023.

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D.J. Moore Has Similar Potential to Brown & Diggs

The argument that both Brown and Diggs were better receivers than Moore before they were traded doesn’t hold much water when examined more closely.

Diggs and Moore had nearly the same number of receptions over their five-year stints with their original teams, Diggs securing 365 receptions and Moore putting up 364. While Diggs scored nine more touchdowns, Moore produced 586 more receiving yards with his catches and three seasons with 1,100 or more receiving yards to Diggs’ one. The comparison works even better in Moore’s favor with Brown, who caught 185 passes over his three years in Tennessee while Moore’s first three seasons yielded 208 receptions.

Now, Diggs was competing for attention in the Vikings offense with Adam Thielen and does deserve a bit more credit for standing out without being the clear-cut No. 1 guy, but Moore wasn’t exactly alone in his competition for targets. The Panthers utilized Christian McCaffrey out of the backfield a ton, so much so that he had more than 100 catches in each of Moore’s first two seasons. Moore also had Robbie — now Chosen — Anderson and Curtis Samuel cutting into his usage.

To say Moore had it easier is simply inaccurate, especially when you take into account that Diggs’ and Brown’s first teams provided them with better quarterback play.

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Justin Fields Won’t Lack for Bears Weapons in 2023

Fields’ shortcomings as a passer were understandable, if not forgivable, during the 2022 season when he was forced to make do with subpar weapons, but the same excuse won’t be valid in 2023 as long as all of the glitzy new pieces manage to stay healthy.

The Bears are in a far better place in terms of receiving talent than they were in 2022. Instead of beginning the season with Equanimeous St. Brown and Dante Pettis in the starting lineup, Fields will be working with Moore, Darnell Mooney and Chase Claypool as his three primary starters when the 2023 season opens. He will also have St. Brown, Pettis and Velus Jones Jr. back in the rotation from last year’s roster along with fourth-round rookie Tyler Scott, offering him a much deeper group of pass-catchers overall.

The Bears also made some essential additions at non-receiver positions. They found a new right guard (veteran Nate Davis) and right tackle (first-round pick Darnell Wright) for their inconsistent offensive line. They added a second pass-catching tight end (Robert Tonyan Jr.) to the room alongside Cole Kmet. They also reinvented their running back room, losing David Montgomery but adding D’Onta Foreman, Travis Homer and fourth-rounder Roschon Johnson to the backfield alongside Khalil Herbert.

The Bears aren’t entirely finished with their rebuild, but the new supporting staff should be enough for them to find out if Fields can be their franchise quarterback for the foreseeable future.

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