On January 23rd, the Bears ended their offensive coordinator search by hiring former Seattle Seahawks OC Shane Waldron. Waldron replaces Luke Getsy, fired after two seasons of underwhelming offensive play, especially in the passing game. However, Waldron should come in to fix that, having worked with Russell Wilson in 2021 and Geno Smith in the two years that followed. Waldron is well-known across the NFL community and media for having given Geno Smith the best two years of his career, throwing for more than 3,600 yards in both seasons. With that in mind, what does this hiring mean for current Bears quarterback Justin Fields? Will the Bears stick with the former 2021 first-round pick? Or will they reset the clock and take USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the first overall pick?
The Bears were gifted the first overall pick for the second year in a row, thanks to a trade made last season with the Carolina Panthers. The Bears received D.J. Moore, as well as a package of picks that included Carolina’s first-round pick this year. Carolina finished with the worst record in the league, giving the Bears another opportunity to either trade back or pick number one overall. GM Ryan Poles now has another decision to make, and this year it will be more difficult, given the better quarterback prospects that are entering this year’s draft.
Justin Fields hasn’t made the decision very easy for Poles. Fields didn’t make the leap that the Bears wanted to see this year, just completing over 61% of his passes for just under 2,600 yards and 16 touchdowns. Fields boasted a QBR of 46.2, which was a step down from his QBR of 56.3 in 2022. Fields also missed four games this season with a thumb injury and on top of that, had to deal with the lackluster play calling of Luke Getsy. Many fans, as well as head coach Matt Eberflus, who defended Fields in offensive coordinator interviews, stand behind Fields, but the Bears are in a position to draft one of the best quarterback prospects since Patrick Mahomes.
Caleb Williams is a generational talent in many aspects. His arm talent, mobility, and overall ability to command an offense is something we haven’t seen from many quarterback prospects in the past couple of years. An important thing to think about is that Ryan Poles did not draft Justin Fields, and he could be looking to draft his quarterback, while likely trading Fields in this scenario.
However, the hiring of Shane Waldron could change that. Shane Waldron gave Geno Smith two great seasons of quarterback play, one where he passed for over 4,000 yards and 30 touchdowns; winning Comeback Player of The Year in 2022. If Waldron can make Geno Smith look that good, then logically speaking, Justin Fields should be able to make that same leap. NFL media likes to talk about how Fields isn’t a good passer, but forget to mention the fact that Fields was one of the best passers in college football when he was drafted. Playing two years under Getsy, which was a run-first offense, never allowed Fields to take that step forward as a passer. Fields, in his last game of the 2023 season, was only given 16 pass attempts, a true testament to Luke Getsy’s play-calling. Shane Waldron can and likely will employ a more pass-heavy offense, which is the most dominant form of offense in the modern NFL.
No matter the hiring, the decision is still up to Ryan Poles. Bears fans, as well as members of the team, stand behind Fields, but there is no doubt about the quarterback talent that is prevalent in this year’s draft class. Poles will likely consult Waldron about this too, as he needs to garner his offense to the skill set of whichever quarterback they decide to go with. Do the Bears take one more chance on Fields? Or do they take a chance, reset the quarterback clock, and draft Caleb Williams, who is undoubtedly one of the best quarterback prospects we have seen in a while? For the second straight year, the Bears are now on the clock.
