The Justin Fields era is officially underway as Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy made the announcement on Wednesday that the rookie QB will be under center Sunday afternoon against the Cleveland Browns. Veteran Andy Dalton continues to deal with a bone bruise on his knee which will keep him out of the matchup. His long-term availability is still under question.
Bears' HC Matt Nagy made the announcement that Justin Fields is Chicago's starting QB with the idea to clear out any distractions and speculation about the issue. "We're ready to attack this thing moving forward," Nagy said.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 22, 2021
Despite the news that Fields will be getting his first career start against Cleveland, Nagy was quick to reiterate a comment made on Monday following a bizarre press conference that saw the Bears’ PR team reenter the press room following his press conference stating that Andy Dalton is the starter when healthy.
While Justin Fields will start on Sunday, Matt Nagy reiterates: "When Andy is healthy, he's our starter." https://t.co/O1n1kQvZBn
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) September 22, 2021
In his first extended action during last Sunday’s victory over the Bengals, Fields finished 6-of-13 for 60 yards and an interception. He also added 31 rushing yards on 10 carries. Speaking on the ability of the Ohio State product, Nagy had the following to say:
“He’s gone above and beyond to show us what he’s about. He’s past where I thought he was going to be.”
There have been very few negative comments out of Bears’ camp regarding Fields’ progression through the preseason and first two weeks of the regular season, which does bring up the conundrum of what to do it Fields continues to go beyond what’s expected of him. Would the Bears stick to their guns and reinsert Dalton into the lineup? Or would they let it ride with the rookie QB who has shown an ability to stretch the field both with his legs and his arm, an ability that wasn’t entirely on display with the veteran Dalton. Nevertheless, the time for Fields to shine is officially here, albeit a little earlier than the team probably wanted. Will the Bears roll to win number 2 on the season? We’ll find out this Sunday.
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