Bears GM Ryan Poles: Justin Fields is our 2023 starter

General manager Ryan Poles gave Justin Fields as much public support as he needed to Tuesday, saying he planned for him to serve as the Bears’ starting quarterback in 2023.

That’s notable only in comparison to Poles’ options. The Bears hold the No. 1 overall draft pick. In theory, they would have their choice among the three top-tier quarterbacks: presumptive top pick Bryce Young of Alabama, C.J. Stroud of Ohio State and Will Levis of Kentucky.

“We’re gonna do the same as we’ve always done: we’re gonna evaluate the draft class,” Poles said. “And I would say this: I would have to be absolutely blown away to make that type of decision.”

Even though Poles left himself a half-yard of wiggle room, it was a good day for Fields’ future with the franchise. The quarterback talked a day earlier about the team building up its offense around him in 2023, and nothing Poles said challenged that notion.

Instead, the GM regularly hinted at the most obvious path: trading the No. 1 pick to move down a few spots and collect a treasure trove of selections this year and next. He mentioned trading the pick in the first answer to the first question he was asked, and subsequently mentioned “flexibility” — code for collecting additional picks — seven times.

In his second season, Fields became the league’s most exciting player — and also one of its least consistent passers. Poles acknowledged the Bears’ league-worst passing offense — the Bears totaled 2,598 net passing yards, the eighth-lowest total of any team since 2000 — but said he was not dissuaded by Fields.

“We’re excited about his development and where he goes next,” Poles said. “He showed ability to be impactful with his legs. There are flashes with his arm. Now if we can put that together, I think we have something really good.”

The 11th pick of the 2021 draft, Fields finished the season 64 yards shy of breaking Lamar Jackson’s single-season rushing record for a quarterback. He struggled through the air, finishing the regular season 25th in passer rating, tied for 16th in passing touchdowns and 27th in yards.

Pro Football Focus graded Fields as the league’s 23rd-best quarterback, a combination of him being the third-best runner among quarterbacks and the 34th best passer. There are only 32 starters in the league.

“Justin did a good job,” Poles said. “He showed the ability to be a playmaker, be impactful. He can change games quickly. Does he have room to grow? He does. He has to get better as a passer, and I’m excited to see him take those steps as we move forward.”

Against pressure, PFF graded him the 49th-best quarterback.

“As a passer, [I just want] for things to slow down mentally, and then be able to react and anticipate quicker,” Poles said. “Obviously with that, we also have to continue to build around him so that he can do that consistently as well.”

Yes, that. Fields had perhaps the worst pass-game supporting cast of any team in the league. The Bears’ pass-blocking was ranked last by PFF. So were their receivers.

Poles, who spent the most salary-cap space in the NFL on players to suit up for other teams, said the Bears “used the resources that we had to the best of our ability based on what was there.” They’re in need of a talent upgrade, and have the most cap space in the league this offseason — plus their draft picks — to do so.

“I wish it was perfect across the board so it was clean as much as possible but it just doesn’t always happen that way,” he said. “Now looking at where we can go currently, where we have flexibility to do a little bit more, now the second piece . . . what talent’s there for us to bring in that can help move the needle to help everybody get better.”

The Bears will send Fields to work on his footwork and chemistry with his teammates during off-campus sessions this season. But a talent infusion will help him most of all.

Poles said he was encouraged by Fields’ deep passing but wanted to see more of it.

“Now it’s just closing the gap and being consistent with it,” he said. “And again, the beautiful thing about football is you can never point at one person and say, ‘It’s his fault.’ No, it’s a collective where everything’s gotta work together.

‘‘I know and we know if we continue to grow this football team and bring in a lot of good players, that everyone’s going to get better collectively.”

The players who saw Fields’ firsthand this season say they believe.

“He’s the most exciting player in the NFL — or one of the most exciting in the NFL,” center Sam Mustipher said Monday. “There’s something to look forward to there. Any time you have a position that’s the most important position in the NFL solidified, that definitely tends to lead to a little more confidence than going into an offseason when you have question marks at that position.”

The Bears have been there before, looking for a quarterback

“Justin Fields, having a quarterback like that, having your franchise quarterback like that?” defensive tackle Justin Jones said. “A lot of people are still looking for theirs. We found ours. That’s No. 1 right there already.”

Poles said as much when he all but quashed the idea of drafting a different quarterback — even as he acknowledged how far Fields has to grow.

“The guy is hungry to be successful in this league,” he said.