Justin Fields’ Current Situation Is Eerily Similar To Eventual Star
Watching Justin Fields do dazzling things again on Sunday in a losing effort led me to wonder if any noteworthy quarterback faced a similar situation as him. That is to say, he was by far the best player on the field but didn’t have the supporting cast needed to showcase all of his talents. People have compared him to Michael Vick for obvious reasons. It makes sense, given his ridiculous rushing numbers. However, I’ve found a better comparison after careful research. He is much more like Donovan McNabb in 2000.
The six-time Pro Bowler was a star for the Philadelphia Eagles, leading them to five NFC championship games and a Super Bowl appearance in 2004. What people often forget about his early years is how lacking in talent the offense was around him. In his second season with the team (2000), his top two wide receivers were Charles Johnson and Torrance Small. Tight end Chad Lewis led the team in receiving with 735 yards. If that weren’t bad enough, running back Duce Staley was lost for the year after five games. So McNabb led the team in rushing with 629 yards and six touchdowns. A rough offensive line also saw him get sacked 45 times.
Sound familiar?
McNabb finished with 3,365 yards passing, 21 TDs, and 13 interceptions. He was the Eagles’ offense. Fields is on track to finish this season with 2,531 yards passing, 20 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, 1,273 yards rushing, and 10 rushing touchdowns. That similarity alone should have fans excited. Where it gets interesting is what the Eagles did to help their quarterback the following season.
The Bears can follow a similar blueprint for Justin Fields.
Philadelphia struck hard in free agency the following spring. They signed big right tackle Jon Runyan to a six-year deal to join their offensive line. They also added solid wide receiver, James Thrash. They took wide receiver Freddie Mitchell in the 1st round of the draft and scored an unexpected hit with undrafted center Hank Fraley. All became quality contributors to their offensive success over the next few seasons, helping McNabb to blossom as a passer. He threw 25 touchdowns in 2001, the second-highest of his career.
Chicago is in a great position to do something similar. They have over $100 million in salary cap space to spend in free agency, and current projections have them picking 6th overall in the 2023 draft. If GM Ryan Poles is even semi-competent, he should be able to get two or three good players around Justin Fields. Combine that with entering the second year of the same offense, and it’s not unreasonable to think the quarterback could flourish.