Fans have remained focused on the quarterback position from the start. The debate remains the same. Do they really need to start Andy Dalton? Justin Fields is a supreme talent and playing games is the best sort of experience he can get. Many people just don’t see the point. That is fair. A lot of quarterbacks started immediately as rookies and went on to great success. It has become a greater trend than ever these days.

However, there are other factors in play here. Perhaps the most important that not enough people are talking about is the state of the offensive line. It was already a question mark coming into training camp. They’d released longtime left tackle Charles Leno Jr. and plan to start Teven Jenkins, a 2nd round rookie, in his place. On the other side is Germain Ifedi who was serviceable last season at right tackle. Yet it’s easy to forget that was never supposed to play that position, having planned to make a go of it at guard.

So the Bears aren’t exactly stable at the second most important offensive position.

If that weren’t bad enough, it got worse the moment training camp opened. Both Jenkins and Ifedi popped up on the injury report. The rookie is dealing with back tightness. Never a great sign for somebody his size. Ifedi tweaked his hip during a conditioning test as well. Just like that both starting tackles were out and reports out of practice are the Bears pass rush took full advantage with multiple “sacks” of the quarterbacks.

This helps to further illustrate why the Bears were active on the tackle market a few weeks back. They tried to sign veteran Morgan Moses before he ultimately went to the New York Jets. It is a safe bet they understand the dangerous position they’ve put themselves in. While Jenkins and Ifedi have a chance to be good, it all goes wrong if either get hurt. Then the offense is looking at Elijah Wilkinson or 5th round rookie Larry Borom as their options. Not ideal.

Andy Dalton has navigated this sort of situation before

He’s no stranger to standing behind makeshift offensive lines. In fact, he did it last year in Dallas. The Cowboys lost multiple starters to injuries over the course of 2020. This opened him up to a number of tough stretches where he constantly had pressure in his face. Dalton handled it though and finished with 1,718 yards, 13 touchdowns, and five interceptions in seven games. This despite being sacked 17 times.

This is why the Bears trust him. Not just because he’s better than people say, but because he knows how to handle life without ideal protection. Something Fields is not prepared for. Not at this level. By going with Andy Dalton for now, it allows the rookie time to learn but also keeps him from suffering any injuries having to stand behind poor blocking.

Make no mistake. Nagy has thought this through.

He wants to see Fields play as much as anybody. However, he knows the dangers of throwing a quarterback out there too soon. Especially when his protection can’t be totally guaranteed. See Joe Burrow last year. Nobody wants to see that happen to Fields. So if it means postponing his time? So be it.