Jason Peters saw how special Justin Fields is, and the veteran offensive tackle also knows what the Bears' young quarterback needs to reach his potential.
"He got hurt right there in the middle of it," Peters said on Sirius XM. "He's going to need his offensive line to block for him, give him some time — because he's young — to go through his reads. Once he gets older and gets into the groove, because right now he's going to be like a rookie with the new system pretty much with a new coaching staff, I'm pretty sure they've got a whole new system for him, new plays.
"As long as the offensive line gives him some time, he'll do OK this year. Once he gets that offensive line set, that guy's going to be special because he can throw, he can run, he can make all the plays he needs to make."
Peters, who played 15 games for the Bears last season, said Fields got better every game he played. That's a claim backed up by multiple PFF stats that put Fields among the NFL's best in several categories during the final 10 weeks of last season.
The 40-year-old Peters unsurprisingly nailed the key to Fields' success in 2022. If he's running for his life, it will be hard for him to develop on the planned trajectory.
The Bears' offensive line has several question marks just days out from training camp. New head coach Matt Eberflus is banking on solid play from Cody Whitehair at left guard and Lucas Patrick at center. The Bears were expected to have a competition at right guard, but that position likely belongs to Sam Mustipher after Dakota Dozier's injury at mandatory minicamp.
That brings us to the tackle position, which has become a glaring issue for the Bears. Entering OTAs, Larry Borom and Teven Jenkins were the Bears' first-string tackles. However, halfway through the offseason program, Eberflus made a change, switching Borom from left to right tackle and inserting fifth-round rookie Braxton Jones as the starting blind side protector.
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Eberflus has been adamant that the line change was part of the Bears' process to find the best combination and was in no way indicative of Jenkins' performance.
That's an explanation that's tough to buy.
If Jenkins doesn't return to his starting right tackle role at the start of training camp, the Bears would be wise to give Peters a call and try to bring the potential future Hall of Famer back to protect Fields' blind side and help develop Jones.
Peters hasn't hung up his helmet. He's just waiting for a call.
"I'm looking for an up-and-coming offensive line [on a] good team or a playoff team," Peters said. "Either way is good for me because I can teach or I can sit back and listen and learn from other veterans of the game, too."
Of course, the Bears aren't expected to be a playoff team. But Peters is clearly a fan of Fields, and Eberflus could sell the 40-year-old on a role as a player/coach that would be integral to building the Bears' new culture.
It might not work, but it costs the Bears nothing to try and get Fields some more protection.
The nine-time Pro-Bowler had a solid season last year in Chicago. He ranked 23rd in pass-blocking grade among tackles, per Pro Football Focus. Among tackles that played at least 800 snaps, Peters ranked 12th.
He allowed 28 pressures and six sacks in 517 pass-blocking snaps (853 total). He also was only flagged three times.
The Bears called Peters almost two weeks into training camp last season, and he was one of the better offensive tackles in the NFL.
Given this season's importance for Fields' development, the Bears shouldn't hesitate to call Peters again if it looks like Jenkins can't be relied on to handle the right tackle duties.
Playing Borom at right and bringing in Peters to anchor the blind side and tutor all three young tackles would benefit Fields and the franchise this season and in the long run.