• Ryan Poles has to yet to select a QB.

• Ryan Poles has a great opportunity to select one this year with a (great) prospect in Caleb Williams.

• The current QB is heading into year 4, this is so crucial yet many just look over it. One of the most effective roster management strategies is a cheap QB. The window for success nearly relies on year 4. Year 5 Fields will be a cap hit of approximately 23m. Not to mention this decision also has to be made this offseason.

• There’s too much risk for Poles to rely on Fields making a once in a blue moon development. If Fields doesn’t (magically) become pretty damn good in 2024-25, Poles career will be over and he would have never selected a QB. In the scenario where we (somehow) pick up the 5th year on Fields and let’s make a fair assumption that Fields isn’t great for the next 2 years, Poles is done. You simply can’t be underwhelming (to say the least) from 2022-2025 and expect to retain your job and also select a QB.

• Lastly the QBs in 2025 are foreseeably awful, with Drew Allar being the top prospect.

TL;DR as to why we’re selecting a QB

• restart QB clock, this is essential to building a successful (short & long term) window - better chance of winning.

• Poles buys more time as a GM.

• Poles career is now relied on his selection, he’s not going to risk his life’s work and career on the shoulders of Justin Fields.

• You have a better chance of having a “good” QB.

• In the strong likelihood that Fields isn’t pretty good in 2024, your options in 2025 are limited - to say the least.

Here comes the cold hard truth

Fields isn’t good. He’s below average. Can’t go through progressions, can’t throw, can’t read a defense, can’t protect the ball, lacks consistency, etc.

We’re talking about a 3rd year QB who for a career gets sacked 3.5x a game, with 75%+ of them being after 4+ seconds, averages a turnover a game, has more turnovers than touchdowns, has a 61% completion, and averages 162yd/game. He’s had only 1 game (in 3yrs) where he’s thrown for 300+ yards. In 2022, Fields only eclipsed 200+ yards TWICE, (208 for one of the games). These are just awful numbers. Nearly ever rookie QB has gotten 200+ twice including our very own Bagent. We are talking about a guy who has gone into the half with under 50 passing yards 11 times.

With teams licking their lips for an opportunity to draft a prospect in the likes of Caleb Williams (or even Maye), we have a good portion, if not a majority of our fanbase wanting to not even select a QB. It’s just illogical.

Ryan Poles will 100% be selecting a QB. Stop coping, we all wanted Fields to be great or at the least good, but accept the reality that he simply isn’t good enough.