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The Chicago Bears made one of the bigger moves of this year’s NFL Draft, trading up to get former Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields with the No. 11 pick. A lot of analysts were impressed by the organization’s move on Thursday.
But the question is, will Fields be a good fit in Chicago? NFL Network analysts Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks answered that question in a recent episode of the Move the Sticks podcast. They both agreed that this should work out well for both parties.
“Look — the 49ers, we had said, was the best fit for everybody because of the setup that they have there,” Jeremiah said. “But I actually really like this fit here with Justin Fields going to the Bears with Nagy. I think it’s a good fit.”
Brooks went into a little more detail as to why he thinks Fields will work well in Chicago.
“Yeah, I think potentially it could be a really good fit,” Brooks said. “One thing that stands out to me with Chicago, and I always worry about them because they haven’t had a really good quarterback there in forever. But I do think there’s something to a certain environment that you have to get a cold-weather player. The fact that Justin Fields played in the Big Ten, played in some inclement conditions, cold-weather, it shouldn’t be a big problem for him. I think that is a big thing.
“I also think in Chicago, your team has to be reflective of your city, and the quarterback has to reflect both things. You have to be a tough dude to be in Chicago. Much like we talk about like Philadelphia and in some of these other things, you kind of have to be a little grizzled, a little callous. I think Justin Fields is tough enough to deal with everything that will be thrown at him in Chicago. You have to be a tough-minded, physically tough, dude. I think he’s exhibited those qualities. And then when it comes to Matt Nagy, the quarterback, and what the traits are, I think Matt Nagy and Bill Lazor have the ability to put together an offense that takes advantage of his athleticism while keeping it simple enough to allow him to play fast, and play free. I think there’s some overlap or go-between with Nagy and Ryan Day, I think this all will work.”
Fields was the fourth quarterback taken in this year’s draft, behind Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson and Trey Lance. He was 20-2 as the starter at Ohio State, guiding the Buckeyes to a pair of B1G titles and back-to-back College Football Playoff appearances.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB