Ranking six NFL quarterbacks who could get benched in 2023 - ESPN

Football is an unforgiving game. It doesn't take much to go from franchise quarterback to backup. There are always superstars who are going to keep their jobs for years regardless of what happens, but think about passers such as Carson Wentz and Matt Schaub, who went from unquestioned starters to pariahs in a matter of months. The time when quarterbacks would get years to prove themselves is long over.

Let's sort through the quarterbacks whose situations are most vulnerable after the first three weeks of the NFL season. I'm not rooting for anyone to get benched, but there are a handful of teams that have to be concerned about what they've seen from their starters. There are others that already were wondering about their options before the season and might be aggressive about making a move, even if their starter is playing reasonably well at the moment.

One quarterback who isn't on the list: Justin Fields. On the merits of the Chicago offense, he could be benched. His 21.0 Total QBR ranks last in the league. The Bears rank 28th in yards per play (4.4), 29th in yards per game (250) and 31st in expected points added on offense (minus-27.8). He has looked lost for long stretches of games and has shown virtually none of the upside Bears fans were so excited to see more often in 2023.

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For a few reasons, I don't think benching Fields makes sense. The Bears' primary backup is Nathan Peterman, so they aren't going to be upgrading to a successful veteran if they make the switch. This is Fields' third season, so they need to evaluate as many of his reps as possible before making a decision about his fifth-year option for next spring. That they seem to have made the wrong choices