Is Justin Fields Poised for a Leap Similar to Jalen Hurts? Context Matters for the Bears' Emerging Quarterback
Anticipation is soaring in the Windy City, and it's easy to see why. The upcoming NFL season has the city buzzing, largely due to the presence of Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields.
Fans are eagerly awaiting Fields' third-year leap, fueled by the dramatic evolution of Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, who guided his team to the Super Bowl. Hurts saw significant improvements in his passing statistics from 2021 to 2022. However, it might be prudent to temper the enthusiasm a bit. Fields and Hurts started from different baselines, and their surrounding circumstances are distinct.
While Fields' anticipated statistical jumps in passing yards, touchdowns, and interceptions would be a significant improvement, it doesn't automatically imply team-wide success, like it did for the Eagles. One can't overstate this enough: the 2023 Bears are not the 2022 Eagles.
Indeed, the Bears acquired wide receiver D.J. Moore, similar to the Eagles landing A.J. Brown. However, Philadelphia's circumstances were more favorable, featuring one of the league's best offensive lines and a rock-solid defense. The Bears, by contrast, faced challenges, including a weaker offensive line and a defense still in the rebuilding phase, despite adding talent like Yannick Ngakoue.
The so-called "Jalen Hurts leap" for Fields would be an extraordinary feat. Fivethirtyeight's quarterback ELO metric, an advanced measure of QB performance over a career, puts into perspective just how lofty a climb Fields faces compared to his peers like Hurts and Lamar Jackson.
Simply put, expecting Fields to turn into an MVP this season might be setting the bar unrealistically high, adding unnecessary pressure on the young quarterback. Instead, the focus for Chicago in 2023 should be on tangible improvements. Is the team better overall? Does Fields develop noticeably? Can the defense exceed expectations? Achieving these would spell success for the Bears; anything more would be a windfall.
| POLL | ||
5 SEPTEMBRE | 19 ANSWERS Is Justin Fields Poised for a Leap Similar to Jalen Hurts? Context Matters for the Bears' Emerging Quarterback Can Justin Fields make the "Jalen Hurts" leap? | ||
| Yes | 13 | 68.4 % |
| No | 6 | 31.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
