Ryan Poles doesn't expect Justin Fields to need to run as much in 2023

Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields flashed his dual-threat capabilities in 2022, rushing for 1,143 yards and eight touchdowns.

One of the more exciting players to watch from the position, Fields struggled, however, moving the ball through the air. The former Ohio State star threw for 2,242 passing yards with 17 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, while being sacked 55 times. With a bit of a retooled offensive line and the acquisition of star wideout DJ Moore from the Carolina Panthers, general manager Ryan Poles is hoping for more balance in Fields’ game in 2023, he recently said on “The Rich Eisen Show.”

“I do think with increased protection and more weapons to throw to, he won’t need to run as much,” Poles said. “But just sprinkling that in and obviously having the threat to do that on occasion, maybe not at the same volume again [as last year], it’s going to be a hard thing for defenses to prepare for.”

Fields certainly doesn’t lack confidence. After recently making headlines for claiming he’s among the best five running quarterbacks in the history of the NFL, he declared another bold statement. Fields guaranteed he’ll be the first quarterback in Bears history to throw for over 4,000 yards in a single season.

“I will. And I plan on doing it this year, too. I plan on doing it this year,” Fields said on the “All Things Covered” podcast.

While Fields’ goal is lofty, it isn’t impossible. Nine players recorded 4,000 passing yards or more last season. This exclusive list was highlighted by Patrick Mahomes’ 5,250 passing yards, good for the fourth-most ever in a single season.

Ryan Poles explains decision to stick with Justin Fields

The Bears had the golden ticket with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. They could have gone any way they wanted to and set themselves up well for their future, whether Fields was replaced at quarterback or not.

In the end, though, Poles stuck with Fields and moved that No. 1 pick, which became Bryce Young, to the Panthers. Speaking with Eisen, Poles broke down the process that the franchise went through to make that major decision for the franchise’s future.

“We had to take our time with that decision. You never want to be in that spot but opportunities can present itself to improve your football team,” Poles said. “We just had to figure out how we wanted to do that. We went through the whole process, we had to look at all the quarterbacks. And then kind of see how we could impact our team in the biggest way.”

By eventually electing to trade the top selection, they added a weapon in Moore that could be a great target for Fields in his third season. They were also able to acquire the No. 9 pick, which they used on offensive tackle Darnell Wright, and three more picks along with him.

By the time the decision was over and done with, Poles felt as though they improved the Bears’ roster for the better.

“It was a cool opportunity to improve our team today this year. But also set us up for success with draft capital down the road as well,” Poles said. “We could do both things at the same time, which got us excited. I thought it worked out really well.”