The Chicago Bears will open their 2021 training camp in three weeks at Halas Hall with all eyes on rookie quarterback Justin Fields. Although Fields is the projected number two quarterback behind starting quarterback Andy Dalton, the team is poised to have three quarterbacks on their week 1 roster. With Dalton and Nick Foles as proven veteran quarterbacks, the Bears will have tremendous value at the position in both the preseason and regular season.

The Quarterback Depth Is Extremely Valuable Once The Season Starts.

One constant to every NFL season is that at least one team will lose their starting quarterback to a long-term or season-ending injury early in the season. It happens all the time, whether it was the San Francisco 49ers with Jimmy Garoppolo in 2018, The Pittsburgh Steelers with Ben Roethlisberger in 2019, or the Drew Lock and the Denver Broncos last year. With a loss of their starting quarterback, an NFL team will either rely on their backup quarterback or trade for an available quarterback.

For the Bears in 2021, they have the best depth at the position in the entire league. Both Dalton and Foles are playoff-proven and former Pro Bowl quarterbacks. If a team with playoff aspirations loses their quarterback in 2021 and wants to trade for a veteran quarterback, the Bears may be one of the teams to get a call first. If Fields matures faster than expected, it could allow Chicago to trade both of their quarterbacks if there are enough suitors.

If I'm forced to go with a backup QB, nobody I'd rather have than Andy Dalton, who averaged winning 10 games a year his first five NFL seasons. He's obviously no Dak. But at least he gives the Cowboys a chance in an all-time bad division.

— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) October 11, 2020

Due to general manager Ryan Pace’s draft-night trade with the New York Giants, The Bears are without a first-round and a fourth-round draft selection in next year’s draft. Although Chicago won’t get a first-round selection back for either Dalton or Foles, the team could get a few mid-round selections back, which they desperately need. If the former Bengals Pro Bowl quarterback starts well for the Bears, Fields make it easy for the team to part ways with him while still holding leverage over NFL teams that may be interested in trading for the quarterback.

Trading Foles will be a lot harder due to his expensive cap cost. If the Bears were to move him, they would likely have to take on some of the veteran’s contract and only get back a lower-round draft selection. That doesn’t mean that it is unlikely that Chicago can’t find a trade partner. There have been rumors that the New York Jets could be interested in Foles as they have no proven backup for rookie quarterback Zach Wilson.

New York Jets Media Now Begging For Nick Foles Trade #Bears https://t.co/pPuSSqu64Q pic.twitter.com/t7jqx3ctKh

— Erik Lambert (@ErikLambert1) June 4, 2021

Fields and Matt Nagy’s Quarterback Knowledge Can Make Dalton and Foles Expendable

The Bears’ having their veteran quarterbacks become available via trade hinges on the growth and maturity of Fields in training camp and the preseason. If the Ohio State quarterback demonstrates growth throughout training camp and makes strides in the team’s three preseason games, head coach Matt Nagy could start the rookie quarterback sooner than expected. Starting Fields would result in Chicago have two veteran quarterbacks making 10 million dollars or more on their bench.

Andy Dalton chose Chicago…and Chicago chose Justin Fields. Dalton stays and Bears also have Nick Foles, who has $9 million guarantees for this season.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 30, 2021

If Fields struggles and shows a slow rate of grasping the position during the preseason, both Pace and Nagy may be more hesitant if opposing teams provide trade offers to Chicago for both Foles and Dalton. The Bears may find themselves in a position where their rookie quarterback doesn’t play until the final game of the season due to not showing that he is ready to start, costing the team from making a trade to accrue draft selections.

If Fields is ready and there are multiple teams with significant injuries at their quarterback position, Pace and Nagy could trade both Dalton and Foles to the highest bidders. Although Chicago may be left with one quarterback on the roster following the trades, they could sign former Bears’ backup quarterback Tyler Bray, who is familiar with the offense. Although Nagy has face criticism for his play-calling, he has proven that he can develop quarterbacks.

The year is 2022. Aaron Rodgers is on the Broncos, Davante Adams is on the Raiders, and Justin Fields just won Rookie of the Year last season for the #Bears.

Life is good.

— Jacob Infante (@jacobinfante24) July 3, 2021

Although Chicago fans will be excited for any positive plays generated by Fields during the preseason, they should also hope for the same from Foles and Dalton. Any quality play from the veteran quarterbacks will enhance their trade value for the Bears, which could potentially lead to draft selections coming back to the team. The quarterback depth for the Bears won’t be noticeable on the field but could be noticeable in late September and October, especially for other NFL teams.