Matt Nagy didn’t seem overly thrilled about being asked more questions about the status of his quarterback depth chart. Andy Dalton is the #1 quarterback with the clear statement there is no competition once training camp begins. Justin Fields will be the #2 guy and spend that time doing everything he can to get ready. Why is it so hard for people to accept this?
Mostly because those people can’t comprehend Dalton being the better option. Fields is more talented by a wide margin. The only advantage Dalton has is his experience and knowledge of the NFL. While that does count for something, is it truly enough to justify keeping this gifted rookie on the bench? Plenty of fans and experts don’t think so. Former NFL quarterback Tim Hasselbeck is one of them.
From what he sees? Fields is ready to play right now.
Hasselbeck played in the NFL for four years. His brother Matt Hasselbeck was a Pro Bowl player for the Seattle Seahawks. So he has a good grasp on the quarterback position in general. His stance isn’t hard to read. Fields was overlooked in the draft for some rather suspect reasons. He started two seasons in one of the best conferences in the country and took his team to the College Football Playoffs twice.
Sure he didn’t play in an offensive system that used a ton of NFL things like taking snaps under center and calling plays from the huddle. Yet that doesn’t mean Fields is incapable of either. Word is he’s picking up on both fast. He should have them well-mastered by the time training camp ends. By that point, what will be the final excuse for him not to start?
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Justin Fields might be ready but is Matt Nagy?
That is the big question here. What makes it so unusual is the Bears head coach never has a problem riding with rookies. It has been that way since he arrived in 2018. Roquan Smith, James Daniels, and Anthony Miller all got extensive playing time. So did David Montgomery in 2019, then Cole Kmet, Jaylon Johnson, and Darnell Mooney last year. The results weren’t terrible at all.
So what makes Justin Fields any different? Probably because he’s a quarterback. Nagy has always treated that position with a separate pair of gloves. No doubt because he played and coached the position himself. How he views it isn’t the same as others on the roster. Having learned under Andy Reid for so many years, he was taught to treat young quarterbacks a certain way. Reid sat Donovan McNabb as a rookie. Then he sat Patrick Mahomes.
Both went on to become stars.
So it isn’t too difficult to understand why the Bears head coach thinks this approach is best for Fields. Let him sit back and learn. Then after a period of time where he has a firm grasp on the playbook and the NFL speed? Throw him out there. Dalton may alter this timeline depending on how he plays, but the plan itself is easy enough to understand.