NFL Rumors: Bears next OC hire shouldn't be good news for Justin Fields

The Chicago Bears are reportedly hiring Seahawks play-caller Shane Waldron as their next offensive coordinator. Waldron himself looks like a good hire on the surface, and were he to work with Justin Fields their relationship would likely be a productive one. Yet, this situation isn't so simple.

The Bears have the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and should use it on Caleb Williams, who looks like the can't-miss quarterback prospect of this year's class. Fields has struggled at times during his three years at starter.

At the very least, Fields has not proven to be a franchise-caliber passer, and another change at offensive coordinator won't do him any good. Learning a new system -- the third time Fields has done so since his entry into the NFL if you count his rookie transition from Ohio State -- will only make matters more complicated.

Bears new OC hire Shane Waldron should mean end of Justin Fields in Chicago

Head coach Matt Eberflus outlined what he was looking for in a new offensive coordinator. Eberflus wanted to find a teacher, and Waldron can be just that for the right student, who could be Williams.

"Obviously you want to have somebody that's a great teacher," Eberflus said. "I think that's important because you know he has to coach the coaches to coach the position. And I think that's the No. 1 trait of any great coach. You have to be able to have the innovation to really look at the players that you have and be able to help enhance and put those guys in position to succeed and to get explosives and to move the ball down the field. So that right there, I think, is the most important thing, the teacher part of it and then the innovation part of it, and the creativity I think is going to be the biggest part."

After three years in the NFL, there's only so much more the Bears can teach Fields to help magically turn him into the quarterback they're actively pursuing. Williams is a blank slate with a ton of talent. Waldron has proven he's a capable teacher with Geno Smith in Seattle.