The Chicago Bears had mild expectations going into last NFL season. It would be the third year in the league for quarterback Justin Fields, who was provided with some legit weapons and targets while seeing consistency within the coaching staff, and there was plenty for him to prove to the franchise with his play.
Somehow, there seem to be even more questions as we head into the 2024 off-season. They had a nice run at the end of the year, but Chicago was 2-7 at one point in the season and finished well out of any playoff position, and Fields wasn’t particularly impressive in his “prove it” campaign.
NFL: 3 Questions For Chicago Bears To Answer This Off-Season
Justin Fields wants to stay in Chicago pic.twitter.com/EzrrpWzKAl
— PFF (@PFF) February 21, 2024
They will be one of the focal points of the first couple of months of the NFL off-season, and for good reason. Here are three questions that the Chicago Bears must answer this spring:
1. What To Do With Justin Fields
It is perhaps the biggest question around the league this NFL off-season, mostly due to the domino effect that a decision on Fields’ future will have on a handful of franchises.
Due to the quarterback’s failure in proving without a shadow of a doubt that he could be the team’s signal caller of the future, it has become increasingly likely that Chicago will look to trade Fields in order to get even further draft compensation, and then take one of the top-tier prospects at the top of the board.
2. How Do They Fill Out The Wide Receiver Room
One of the goals of last off-season was to surround Fields with offensive weapons, and the Bears made a nice move in acquiring a legit #1 option in DJ Moore. But they’ll have some work to do in filling out the rest of the receiver room this year, as there are just three players at the position that are under contract for 2024.
It is unclear exactly who will be throwing the ball in Chicago next year and making use of any new targets, but it will be a needed commodity nonetheless. Aside from Moore, the other two receivers on the roster combined for 188 yards in 2023.
3. How To Spend Their Two Top-10 Picks
They of course hold the most valuable and sought after pick, having acquired the rights to the #1 overall selection by executive last year’s trade. But Chicago will also be making another top-10 pick, as their own selection has landed at #9.
There are a plethora of options for the team with both of their picks and with the possibility of dealing Fields, and they could come away with the building blocks of a legit franchise if they attack the draft process correctly.