National Football League

Is Justin Fields in need of offensive help in Chicago?

Updated Aug. 21, 2022 5:33 p.m. ET

Second-year quarterback Justin Fields is entering a critical season with the Chicago Bears. And if Thursday night's game against the Seattle Seahawks was any indication, it could also be a difficult one.

Fields saw limited time in the Bears' second preseason game, completing five of his seven pass attempts for 39 yards. He did this despite spending much of his time on the run.

Watching Fields struggle to fight off Seattle's defense could signal a bigger problem for the Bears, as Colin Cowherd pointed out on Friday's episode of "The Herd." Cowherd explained that the time is now for the Bears to get Fields some help in the skill position department, as well as upfront on the offensive line.

"That Seahawks' defense isn't dominant, and Justin Fields was running for his life," Cowherd said. "In Weeks 1 and 3, they play the Niners and Green Bay — elite defenses. Good luck. [The Bears] have a bad offensive line, one legitimate receiver and a defensive coach, which I don't think helps."

Why it's time for the Bears to help Justin Fields

What have the Chicago Bears done to help Justin Fields? Colin Cowherd explains what the team should do for its sophomore QB.

In the 2021 NFL Draft, the Bears selected Fields in the first round, followed by offensive tackle Teven Jenkins, who dealt with back issues as a rookie and has recently been moved to right guard. The Bears also acquired Andy Dalton before drafting Fields, which created an immediate QB controversy entering his rookie season.

"They went back and forth during the season, flip-flopping between Dalton and Fields, hurting [Fields'] confidence," Cowherd said. "Then they fired the offensive coach. Then they let their best receiver go in free agency. And OK, now they hire a defensive coach, a first-time head coach and a first-time offensive coordinator.

"Throw in the fact that they had to trade up for Justin Fields, so they didn't have a lot of premium draft capital. Throw in the fact that this year, instead of being like Lamar Jackson — always getting high draft picks, running backs, tight ends, receivers and a center — the Bears went out and got a corner and a safety with their top two picks."

Cowherd mentioned other franchises that have made clear attempts to set their young quarterbacks up for success, including Detroit, Buffalo and San Francisco. He doesn't believe Chicago is doing the same for Fields.

"As far as I can tell, Chicago's strategy is, 'We're going to draft you and you're going to have to fix this stuff and save us,'" Cowherd said. "Because that's what it looked like [Thursday] night."

In terms of a solution to Chicago's apparent offensive woes?

"I would trade [Roquan Smith], as good as he is, even if he's their best player, and I'd go get an elite tackle, a solid wide receiver and draft picks to help Justin Fields," Cowherd said.