NFL power rankings in May are kind of like mock drafts in August. So much will change between now and when games actually begin to count that it makes the exercise... bizarre. Still, for a team like the Chicago Bears, appearing as low as NFL.com has them in their post-draft power rankings stings.
The Bears checked-in at No. 30. Yes, only two spots above the NFL's worst team.
"How confident should we be about Justin Fields and the opportunity he is getting in Chicago?" NFL.com's Dan Hanzus wrote. "The Bears saddled the quarterback with a lame-duck head coach as a rookie, then took away his No. 1 wide receiver by allowing Allen Robinson to leave for the Rams this offseason. Absent a first-round pick (that went to the Giants in the Fields draft trade last year), Chicago opted to wait until the third round in Vegas to address the offense. Perhaps Tennessee wideout Velus Jones Jr. carves out a role as a rookie, but it's more likely Fields will be staring down a lot of blanketed receivers when he drops back to pass this fall. Give the kid a chance!"
The Chicago Bears have provided help for Justin Fields
The continued suggestion that General Manager Ryan Poles is somehow failing Fields because the Bears aren't signing wide receivers who go in the first round of fantasy football drafts is lazy. It's an exhausting narrative.
The Bears are giving Fields a chance. They're giving him a chance by revamping the coaching staff and offensive system. The termination of former coach Matt Nagy is a significant addition by subtraction, it can't be overlooked. Chicago added a new starting center and drafted four offensive linemen who will level up the training camp competition. They signed a collection of wide receivers with good traits who need a bigger opportunity. And, yes, the selection of Jones in the third round will pay immediate dividends in 2022.
The Bears have been dinged this offseason because they didn't break the bank on a big contract for a skill player. They didn't spend a high draft pick on a wide receiver or offensive lineman. And because they didn't make headlines on offense, the perception is they either don't believe in Fields or don't know what they're doing.
What we do know is Poles and the entire Bears organization are all-in on Fields. It's a talking point that's worn out its welcome. Whether the front office knows what they're doing is a different discussion and one that can't be realistically had for a few seasons. Remember: Ryan Pace looked like a genius in 2018. We know now that that was all smoke and mirrors.
In a way, it's good that the national media is so low on the Bears' 2022 outlook. It'll give a young team that's rebuilding a chance to go through its expected growing pains. But it'll also be incredibly sweet if Fields makes all of us look back at what's been printed in May and wonder how everyone could've been so wrong.
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