Getty Justin Fields #1 of the Ohio State Buckeyes reacts after a fumble against the Clemson Tigers in the first half during the College Football Playoff semifinal game at the Allstate Sugar Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 01, 2021 in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The Chicago Bears’ offensive line is getting absolutely no respect heading into the 2021 season.
ESPN analyst Bill Barnwell recently published a series of predictions about the forthcoming NFL season and made a critical estimation about the rookie season of new Bears first-round quarterback Justin Fields, picking him as a “long shot” to break the league’s single-season fumbles record (23) in 2021.
Barnwell also took a blatant shot at the Bears’ frontline unit that will eventually protect Fields, calling them “the worst offensive line of the bunch on paper.”
Via Barnwell:
The former Ohio State star didn’t do a terrible job of protecting the football in college, fumbling 12 times over two-plus seasons as a starter, but circumstances might make him the favorite of the five first-round quarterbacks to lead the pack in fumbles. Fields is likely to have more rush attempts than any of the other rookies, and young passers often struggle to protect the football at the end of those plays. He’s also playing behind the worst offensive line of the bunch on paper.
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Can Bears’ O-Line Shake Negative Perception?
Barnwell hasn’t been the only one hating on the Bears’ protection crew ahead of the 2021 season. Pro Football Focus also ranked Chicago’s offensive line as the sixth-worst unit in the league, questioning the competence of their tackle spots after the Bears parted ways with veterans Charles Leno Jr. and Bobby Massie this offseason.
Will the Bears’ protectors in the trenches actually be so bad next season, though?
No doubt, Chicago has questions to answer about its offensive line. The Bears are so confident in the abilities of rookie Teven Jenkins — who they traded up to draft at No. 39 overall after he fell out of the first round — that they released Leno earlier in the spring to give him a clear path to starting at left tackle. As good as Jenkins has looked on tape and in minicamp, that’s still quite a gamble for such a crucial piece.
On the opposite side, the Bears re-upped with Germain Ifedi on a one-year contract to have him reprise his role as their starting right tackle. Additionally, they signed fifth-year tackle Elijah Wilkinson in free agency and spent a fifth-round pick on Larry Borom to boost depth at the tackle spots. Those pieces have potential, but they need to prove it first.
Fortunately, the interior is shaping up nicely with Cody Whitehair and James Daniels both back and healthy heading into training camp. The Bears are also high on Sam Mustipher as their new starting center after he stepped up in an unexpected way when his opportunity came knocking last season. He committed one penalty and allowed just one sack on 504 snaps with the offense, while the Bears coaching staff consistently praised him for his maturity despite being a second-year pro.
Reason to Doubt Fields’ Ball Security?
In fairness to Fields, Barnwell picked a few other favorites to break the NFL’s fumbles record, which has stood since Kerry Collins fumbled 23 times during the 2001 season. He deemed Giants quarterback Daniel Jones his favorite to break the infamous record in the upcoming season, calling him a “fumble factory” after he coughed up the football 29 times over his first two seasons in New York.
Barnwell also put new Indianapolis Colts quarterback Carson Wentz just behind Jones on the list as a veteran who he wrote has “consistently put the ball in danger throughout his career.”
The mention of Fields, however, just feels like someone reaching to include a rookie in their predictions. That’s not to say Fields didn’t have his problems with ball security at points during his collegiate career. He fumbled nine times in 14 games during his 2019 season at Ohio State, losing five of them. But there weren’t enough issues in his other two seasons (three combined fumbles, none lost) to call it a pattern.
Now, Fields did run the ball quite a bit for the Buckeyes. His fumble-heavy 2019 season saw him carry the ball 137 times, gaining 484 yards and 10 touchdowns with his legs. There’s also no question he will continue to be a dual threat at the NFL level, maybe even to the point that the Bears start regularly designing plays around him taking off downfield.
Until Fields gives fans a big-league reason to start scrutinizing his ball security, though, best not to worry an issue into existence.
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Bears’ O-Line Called Out in Brutal Justin Fields Prediction