It's no secret the Bears locker room is fully behind Justin Fields while his tenure with the Bears remains nebulous.
But they've never taken a stance to say someone else isn't doing their job to help him. They've only looked at the positives Fields brings to the table to support him remaining on the Bears past this season.
Jaylon Johnson recently opened up the discussion to a different level on "All Facts No Brakes with Keyshawn Johnson."
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"For me being in it, it's tough, it's hard, because you know the talent that's there already," Johnson said about Fields. "You know, kind of the situation. I think it's tough for me and him having different coordinators, different coaches, different regimes come in and out, and I think it's truly hard to adjust as a young quarterback being able to do that.
"I definitely for me can see the talent that he has -- from practice, the throws he can make, the accuracy. You can definitely tell when he's confident and when he's not confident, when he's settled in the pocket and when he's not. I feel like he just looks kind of a lot different. I feel like going in and just saying, 'We'll just get rid of him. He's not the answer.' I don't think that's it. I think it's kind of taking the easy way out and making the coaches not take accountability because I believe the coaches have a big part in developing that quarterback and I think that he hasn't had the opportunity to be truly developed yet going on his third coordinator in his fourth year.
"I think honestly it's about the people around him. I think it starts with the quarterback coach, the offensive coordinator teaching and molding and building him into being that quarterback. Even Mahomes, he wasn't who he was when he first came in. He was behind Alex Smith, he got built, he got molded into being who he is. I think it's really about that part first and then you get some dogs around him -- an O-line that can consistently hold up, a good running game, receivers -- we got DJ and we were building some good things on offense but we definitely need more playmakers and guys to put him in the best position."
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There are eye-popping two points to take away from Johnson's soliloquy: coaches not taking accountability and the need for more playmakers around him. Those are strong points.
If the Bears conclude that they will keep Fields, they'll force him through a third offense in four seasons. Upon arrival to the NFL, Fields played under Matt Nagy's offensive system. For the past two seasons, he's played under Luke Getsy's offense.
The Bears are on the precipice of hiring a new offensive coordinator, meaning a new offensive system is inbound. Who will it be? That remains to be seen, but they've interviewed six candidates for the position all from the Sean McVay/Kyle Shanahan tree, except Greg Roman.
To Johnson's point, it's difficult to play under multiple systems. The learning curve for each is never an easy incline. It's always a gradual process that usually requires more than one season to learn. That comes into account for Fields.
Johnson also pointed out the Bears need more pieces to put around Fields. That was the plan heading into this season. They brought in DJ Moore, Darnell Wright, Roshcon Johnson, Nate Davis, Tyler Scott, Robert Tonyan and Marcedes Lewis. That wasn't enough, according to Johnson.
Indeed, the Bears could use some extra pieces. The offensive line needs adjusting. The Bears could add another wide receiver to help take pressure off Fields and Moore (*cough* Marvin Harrison Jr. *cough*). And, for what it's worth, the Bears don't have any superstars in the backfield. Although considering Ryan Poles is from Kansas City, they will probably rely on a committee of running backs.
The question then becomes --- did the Bears provide Fields enough support to elevate the team and become an above-average quarterback? Did Fields elevate the team and become an above-average signal caller?
Those are the types of questions the organization will have to answer this offseason.