Ryan Poles confirms Bears’ commitment to Justin Fields

Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles met with the media at the 2023 NFL Combine Tuesday and reaffirmed his commitment to quarterback Justin Fields. The Bears’ quarterback situation has been the source of talking-head debate over the last few weeks, with analysts like ESPN’s Mike Tannenbaum suggesting Chicago should trade Fields and select Alabama’s Bryce Young with the No. 1 overall pick.

NFL insider Adam Schefter reported Monday that the Bears were leaning in another direction, and that a trade out of the No. 1 pick is the most likely outcome.

“I saw the deal from yesterday in terms of leaning one way or the other,” Poles said Tuesday. “I think that’s always been the case. We’ve always leaned that way because Justin (Fields) did some really good things.”

From NFL Now at the Combine on @nflnetwork: The #Bears are planning on Justin Fields being their QB in 2023 but will do their due diligence on the QBs in the Draft while fielding trade offers for the No. 1 overall pick. pic.twitter.com/EXLAPeERDP

— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) February 28, 2023

Poles was quick to note that he’s expecting growth from Justin Fields in 2023, but it certainly appeared that there’s no desire to move on from the 2021 first-round pick.

“We’ll be in communication with Justin along the way just to make sure that he knows what we’re doing and nothing is a surprise to him,” Poles said of the run-up to the 2023 NFL draft.

Ryan Poles has stated all along that he’d have to be blown away to move on from Fields. This year’s crop of quarterback prospects are talented, but none offer the upside Justin Fields flashed in 2022.

“His athletic ability and ability to create explosive plays were special,” Poles said. “Now, what we’ve had discussions about, and I talked about it openly, he has to take the next step in his game, and I’m excited to see that because I think he’s going to.”