Matt Nagy understands the situation. He knows Chicago Bears fans and the media are focused on Justin Fields. That was always expected. He’s the prized 1st round pick. The player the team traded up to get. The one they view as their future. That said, the head coach knows he can’t afford to get carried away with any sort of praise for the rookie. His plan remains unchanged. Andy Dalton is still the starter. The goal right now is to help Fields keep improving.

There might be one problem though. The fact that he is improving faster than anticipated. Nagy aims to get Fields some action in the preseason opener against Miami this Saturday. The goal? To see him cut it loose, showcase his talent, and see what he’s learned. However, he was soon asked about whether he’s seen anything from the QB in practice that may have surprised him in terms of his development.

Nagy couldn’t hold back in his answer.

“Yeah, there are some plays that he’s making. I thought the last day that we were out there, he put three consecutive plays together that Coach Flip (John DeFilippo) and I were talking about in the quarterback room. In Coach Flip’s opinion, it was three of his best plays in a row consecutively, for different reasons, all of camp. So he had a really good day.”

That is high praise indeed. It is also an indication from the head coach that Fields is progressing rapidly. Perhaps faster than even he expected. It was already known that the quarterback was talented. Not to mention intelligent. What the coaching staff probably wasn’t ready for was how fast he is able to take instructions and implement them into his game. He is evolving at a rapid rate. Nagy went into further detail.

“Part of the stuff that Flip really liked, and I liked too, was he had really calm feet in the pocket through progressions. So it was a really easy, calm three-step from the gun one hitch rhythm throw on time on a post route to the back end of the end line. That part when you see that (and) if you can string those together? It just shows that you trust the concept, you trust your progression, you trust the fundamentals Flip’s teaching you with your feet, and that’s where you want to take those practice individual reps and put it into the play. And he did that.”

This was always a point of contention with Mitch Trubisky. How he never seemed to fix his footwork issue during his time in Chicago. Too many times he just looked uncomfortable in the pocket. His feet were too often all over the place. By the sound of it, that isn’t a problem with Fields. It shows up in his practice clips too. The kid rarely seems rattled by pressure. His discipline and playmaking instincts are exciting.

Matt Nagy will continue to weather the storm on Fields

More than a few people believe the rookie should be starting right now. It’s obvious he is more talented than Dalton and the best sort of experience he can get is game reps. While true, Nagy also may have a viable reason to hold back. That being the current state of the offensive line. As the first preseason game looms, three of the Bears’ projected starting blockers are on the shelf with injuries.

• Teven Jenkins (back)
• Germain Ifedi (hip)
• James Daniels (quad)

This isn’t counting Larry Borom and Lachavious Simmons who are both out with concussions. Suffice to say, the group is banged up. Is Matt Nagy certain he wants to trot Fields out against the Los Angeles Rams defense on opening night with a shaky front five? Probably not. Dalton is a veteran. He knows how to navigate makeshift blocking.

Best to let him handle it for now.

Fields’ time will come. It is inevitable. With each passing day, it becomes clear the Bears may have secured somebody special. There is no way to know for sure. Games have yet to play played. Still, everything points to the kid being a good football player. Nagy is anxious to make that a reality as much as anybody. It isn’t about holding him back. It is about sticking to the process. Unfortunately, Fields is making that difficult.