The Two-Minute Drill: Chicago Bears, it’s time to move on
(Photo Courtesy of Scott Audette/AP Photo)
By Brendan Nordstrom
There’s a theory that many in the NFL community have bought into. I call it the “Jalen Hurts Theory.”
Hurts, drafted in the second round out of Alabama, failed to meet expectations in his first two seasons as a Philadelphia Eagle.
However, in year three, Hurts made a jump. His interception rate drastically dropped from 2.1% to 1.2%. He threw for six more touchdowns and over 500 more yards. His quarterback rating skyrocketed from 87.1 to 101.5. He even placed second in MVP voting behind Patrick Mahomes. Oh, did I mention he led his team to the Super Bowl?
So, the “Jalen Hurts Theory” is the belief that a struggling mobile quarterback will take an unprecedented year-three leap into the league’s upper echelon.
However, not every sixth-round pick is Tom Brady, and not every G5 quarterback is Josh Allen. They’re not the example — they’re outliers.
Jalen Hurts is an outlier; no one is figuring that out more than the Chicago Bears.
The Bears, for as storied as their history is, lack one thing: a notable quarterback. They have failed time and time again when it comes to football’s most important position.
They’re quarterback killers.
In 2021, when Chicago moved on from the Mitchell Trubisky experiment, they used their first-round pick to draft the elusive Justin Fields out of Ohio State.
In his first season, Fields was in competition with veteran Andy Dalton under the tutelage of Matt Nagy. Fields started 10 games for Chicago as a rookie with a completion percentage under 60%, 7 touchdowns to 10 interceptions, 12 fumbles and 35 sacks. For those keeping score at home, that’s over three sacks and two turnovers per game.
Sure, he’s just a rookie, though. His coach is terrible! I mean, who is he even throwing the ball to? Plus, his 420 rushing yards led all rookie QBs. Justin Fields is the future of the franchise, right? Let’s make the best environment possible.
The Bears fired Nagy for Matt Eberflus. They then acquired wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown and traded for wide receiver Chase Claypool.
In year two, Fields wasn’t much different. He bumped his completion percentage by 1.5% and threw more touchdowns than interceptions. However, he took a league-leading 55 sacks and fumbled a league-leading 16 times. Not great.
The one saving grace for Fields — his mobility. His 1,143 rushing yards ranked first in the NFL and entered him into the company of Lamar Jackson and Michael Vick as the only 1,000+ yard rushers — not too bad.
So, here comes year three — the Jalen Hurts year. Eberflus has more experience on the headset. The Bears traded their pick to get a legitimate wide receiver in D.J. Moore. They drafted an offensive lineman in Darnell Wright. Fields even received the most bets to win MVP out of the entire league.
Everything was set for Justin Fields to make the leap — except Justin Fields.
After two weeks, it looks bleak. His completion percentage has minimally improved. He’s thrown pick-sixes in back-to-back weeks with another interception on top. He’s already fumbled three times.
Fields has also already recorded 10 sacks this season. Don’t blame the offensive line — Fields has taken nine of those sacks with four or more seconds in the pocket. Usually, quarterbacks are expected to get the ball out in about three or fewer.
In one play that has gone viral from last weekend, Fields had Moore open in the flat while running back Roschon Johnson was wide open in the seam. Yet, Fields ran right into the heart of the defense for a sack.
This is not to mention his rookie-level footwork and failure to go through progressions — oh, and he’s stopped running as much.
Instead of putting a microscope on him, take a more global viewpoint. Justin Fields has only won five games as a starter in 27 games started. Every year the team has made moves to accommodate him and it’s the same story. The Bears are currently on a 12-game losing streak for God’s sake. Something needs to change.
Maybe it’s not Fields. Maybe it’s the Bears who simply can’t develop a quarterback. I could see a world where Fields moves on to another team and truly becomes elite. But this current marriage needs a divorce — and the Bears need to start looking forward.
Luckily, the Bears have the golden ticket. They have two first-rounders, and based on the current trend, one of those likely ends up in the top five.
Every NFL team is gawking at USC’s Caleb Williams. North Carolina’s Drake Maye is a solid second option. Even Michael Penix Jr., Bo Nix or Shedeur Sanders could make an impact.
Bears — for the sake of yourself — move on from Justin Fields. But maybe for those of us who don’t want to see future talent go to waste, it’s better they stay their course.