As the Chicago Bears take the practice field today, fans attending training camp will have one more bit of motivation to watch the team’s first-round pick.
Rookie Justin Fields is the talk of the team, and for good reason. The Bears have never boasted a quarterback with this skill set before. It’s rare, unfamiliar territory.
Since being drafted, though, Fields has remained the Bears’ no. 2 quarterback in head coach Matt Nagy’s mind. Nagy has continued to give veteran Andy Dalton the nod in terms of starting Week 1.
Although Nagy has said all of the right things in regards to Dalton, continuing to support his veteran since the moment Chicago signed him, the door was finally cracked open to Fields starting.
Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy did not rule out Justin Fields starting in Week 1.
When meeting with the media this week, Nagy was asked, once again, about whether FIelds has a chance to earn the starting quarterback job during training camp. His reply did not include the word, “no.”
“We don’t even get into that part of it, we just say listen, go play ball, be the best you can be. Trust me, just like everyone here and in this city, I want Justin Fields to be electric. For us, we’re worried about today.”
Nagy was also asked about Fields potentially complicating the quarterback plans in training camp by “lighting it up,” to which he replied, “that would be awesome.”
This is the first time we’ve heard anything other than Nagy’s praise for Dalton, and needless to say, it’s not surprising.
“I want Justin Fields to be electric.”
All it took was training camp to roll around, and things start to get real. Nagy can support Dalton all he wants when the offseason is in full force, but when the team reports and it gets close to putting the pads on, things change drastically. Now, it becomes real.
The season is right around the corner, and if Nagy doesn’t think he’s about to see the most exciting quarterback the Bears have ever had under center, then he’s out of his mind. He knows what Fields brings to the table.
Training camp should bring the best out of Dalton, too, which would be the best-case scenario for the Bears. Having two capable starters on the team would be a dream, but may also muddy the waters in terms of making a final decision.
The big takeaway here, though, is that Nagy did not rule out Fields being able to win the starting job. Once again, this is the very first time the head coach did not shut the door on that idea — and believe me, that door will continue to be propped open by the media every single day.
Nagy will not avoid that question, no matter what happens. It’s going to come every day until the season starts, and if this presser was any indication, Fields could end up having a legitimate shot at the starting gig after all.
