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For all the rumors about the Chicago Bears potentially trading Justin Fields during the 2023 offseason, it seems the rest of the NFL is seeing through the smoke.
Bears general manager Ryan Poles told reporters Tuesday morning at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis that he has received no calls from the other 31 teams in the league asking about the availability of Fields in a trade this offseason.
The second-year GM also took the opportunity to reaffirm his commitment to Fields as the Bears’ starting quarterback for the 2023 season, adding the disclaimer that he and his staff will still be scouting the top quarterback prospects in the 2023 draft class.
“No, nothing’s changed there,” Poles said on February 28 of his verbal commitment to Fields as their starter in 2023. “I saw the deal from yesterday in terms of leaning [toward trading the No. 1 overall draft pick]. I think that’s always been the case, we’ve always leaned that way because Justin did some really good things [and] I’m excited about where his game is going to go. But at the same time, when you sit at our situation at 1 overall, you have to do your due diligence, you have to investigate everything, you have to spend time with those guys just to make sure you’re making the right decision.
“What’s important to me — and I think everyone knows me by now and how I want to treat our players — we’ll be in communication with Justin along the way just to make sure he knows what we’re doing and nothing’s a surprise to him.”
Poles Elaborates on How a Rookie Could Blow Them Away
Anyone who listens to Poles talk about Fields should be able to tell how he feels about the 2021 first-round pick. While there are lingering questions about Fields’ abilities as a passer and areas they want him to improve in, the Bears seem to believe that the best path forward for their franchise is to run it back with him in 2023 and see if giving him a better supporting cast — both playmakers and protection — can help him take a leap.
At the same time, Poles has continued to leave the door open just a crack on the possibility of one of the 2023 quarterback prospects changing their mind. He has now used the same phrase twice about the subject, saying he would have to be “absolutely blown away” by one of them through the scouting process to draft a first-round quarterback. He also elaborated a bit more on what it would take to be blown away.
“When you watch it over and over and go, ‘Wow, this is different,'” Poles said of his criteria for quarterbacks. “But it’s a collection of anticipation, arm talent, arm strength, accuracy — it’s all of the categories that you look for in a quarterback. And then … it’s the person. You need to be a unique human being to play this position in this league with this pressure and just to be able to keep coming, game after game after game. And also critique yourself and get better year after year. It’s a huge checklist, but we’ll go down that and make sure we’re doing the right thing.”
Poles Values Getting to Know ‘The Person’ at Combine
Getting to know the person beyond the player on tape is one of the main reasons why Poles enjoys the Combine. It is especially important this offseason as he thoroughly vets all of the quarterbacks to make sure trading the No. 1 pick isn’t a mistake. There are things prospects — not just quarterbacks, but across all positions — can’t show scouts on tape, and Poles has a very specific idea of the type of players that will fit into the culture that he and head coach Matt Eberflus have brought to the Bears.
“This is an opportunity to sit down and spend time with them, get to know the person, what makes them tick,” Poles said. “You have a period of time where you can get them on film and talk about different scenarios, and you can really see how they process. They can give you the why. Is it very short-sighted or is it an overall, big-picture view that they give you? And they can tell you why they’re doing the concepts. Look, everyone is taught differently, all the schemes are different, but that can give you a little bit of guidance about how much they know about ball and where their ceiling is.”
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