New Rumor Reveals Why Ryan Poles Is Reluctant To Stick With Fields
The Chicago Bears haven’t made any decision regarding Justin Fields yet. They won’t until the regular season is over. Every game will be part of his evaluation. Everybody has their opinion on where Justin Fields stands. Many think he’s shown enough improvement this year to justify more time. Others believe what he has shown is what he’ll likely always be: a great athlete who is an average passer. Ultimately, the decision comes down to GM Ryan Poles, who hasn’t spoken on the subject for some time.
That hasn’t stopped people from trying to get a sense of where his head is at. NFL Notifications, a prominent Twitter profile with some accurate information on teams over the past several months, revealed a new update on the Bears’ situation. Apparently, Poles is reluctant to continue with Fields for another year, but not for the reason many think. It comes down to fears regarding the quarterback’s longevity. The Bears GM doesn’t feel the quarterback has the capability to protect himself from further injuries down the line.
This concern by Ryan Poles is more than valid.
One of the things he said he wanted to see more from Fields this season was protecting himself. That meant getting the ball out faster and avoiding too many sacks and hits. Sadly, the quarterback hasn’t been able to do that. He has been sacked at least three times in all but one of his starts this season. People can’t blame all of that on the offensive line. Their protection is considerably better this season. A lot of it has to do with Fields’ playing style. His tendency to hold the ball, waiting for big play opportunities, keeps getting him killed.
Fields has been sacked 126 times in three years. For context, Tom Brady was sacked 565 times in 23 years. Ryan Poles understands the guy is taking too much punishment at too fast of a clip. Fields has already missed 11 games with various injuries since 2021. There is no reason to think his body will withstand that rate of punishment in the coming years as the hits stack up and he gets older. If there was one reason that is valid for Poles wanting to move on, it would be this.