Silvy: Justin Fields is showing improvement, but is it enough?

It was more than just an embrace.

On the Bears social media pages, for the world to see, there was Ryan Poles not only hugging Justin Fields but lifting him up in a pure joyful moment. There haven’t been many moments like these for Poles or Fields.

As my radio partner Tom Waddle put it, it was their “Dirty Dancing” moment.

Nobody puts Justin in the corner.

Was this a sign? Is Fields now Poles’ guy?

A few moments later, Matt Eberflus gathered his team in his typical robotic fashion and players responded like students in a lecture hall. Then Fields asked to speak. He thanked his teammates for having his back after his two fumbles. The locker room roared. It’s apparent that Fields is beloved by the other 52 players and is an unquestioned leader.

That brings us back to Poles. It’s what makes his moment with Fields so interesting.

He has been measured with his praise for the quarterback since he arrived.

And while Fields isn’t Poles’ guy, he hasn’t been rash about his future.

The easy move could’ve been drafting his own guy with the No. 1 pick last spring and moving on from Fields.

Instead, Poles robbed Carolina with one of the greatest trades in Bears history.

On the whole, the jury is still out on Poles, but he already landed three starters from that trade in DJ Moore, Darnell Wright and Tyrique Stevenson. The Panthers’ first-round pick in the upcoming draft will be a fourth starter and the Bears still own Carolina’s second-round pick in 2025.

All that said, CJ Stroud looks great.

I bring that up, not to criticize, but to wonder how it will affect the decision in the upcoming draft.

I was a fan of trading down with the Panthers and loved the process Poles went through to make the decision, and Fields showed too much upside to move off of him.

And that brings us to one of the great debates in Chicago sports history.

Has Fields shown enough in 2023 to pass on the next C.J. Stroud in the 2024 draft?

Under any other circumstance, the Bears would live with Fields’ growing pains, and see what he does next year with another new coach.

But these aren’t any other circumstances. The possibility of drafting at the top of this draft has put an expedited timeframe on the evaluation.

Fields is better today than he was a year ago. But there’s also no doubt that despite the win against the Vikings, not scoring a single touchdown and two critical fourth-quarter fumbles isn’t good enough after starting 30-plus games. He knew it too, and it’s why he thanked his teammates for having his back.

Fields isn’t a problem. But is he a solution? Can he be great?

We know he can provide fantastic highlights, but can he consistently be great?

Our answer so far is “we don’t know.”

Poles needs a definitive answer by the end of the year.

Think about it this way. You’ve been dating someone for almost three years. There are a lot of wow moments but you know there are many other times you want to fix their bad habits.

“Well maybe if they change...”

And after all that time, you’re still unsure and are thinking about if this is person you want to marry. You’re also looking at what else is out there.

Do you settle?

I think you have your answer.

• Marc Silverman shares his opinions on the Bears weekly for Shaw Local. Tune in and listen to the “Waddle & Silvy” show weekdays from 2 to 6 p.m. on ESPN 1000.