Justin Fields is already working hard to prepare for training camp. He aims to be ready. This despite constant assurances from head coach Matt Nagy that there is no quarterback competition. Andy Dalton is the starter and nothing is going to change that. While the Chicago Bears rookie respects that plan, it appears that won’t stop him from trying to change it. He wants to start and will do everything he can to make it happen.
This is where the preseason comes into play. Multiple reports have said already that the Bears plan to play their top draft pick a lot this August. Not a surprise. Dalton is highly experienced and won’t need a ton of game reps at this point. Fields will be able to gain much more from them. Even if it’s against vanilla defenses that feature 2nd and 3rd stringers from other teams. Then again, that shouldn’t stop him from looking to excel.
Ask Russell Wilson.
Nobody can ever tell him the preseason doesn’t matter. Going into the August of 2012, the Seattle Seahawks had a plan. They had Matt Flynn, the former Green Bay Packers backup penciled in as the starter. Wilson was a 3rd round pick they liked who’d done well in training camp. Still, it wasn’t enough to convince them he was ready to overtake Flynn for the starting job. Then Week 2 in Denver happened.
Wilson had already played pretty well the week prior against Tennessee, but it was this outing that truly turned heads. The rookie came in at the start of the 2nd half and went on an absolute tear. He completed 10-of-17 passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns while adding an additional 33 yards on the ground. Seattle scored three touchdowns overall in the half to romp 30-10 on the road. That proved to be the turning point. The Seahawks started Wilson the next week in Kansas City and he officially claimed the job for opening day not long after.
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Don’t forget Wilson is a major inspiration for Justin Fields
The rookie admitted that he models much of his game after the All-Pro. So it’s safe to say he’s aware of most of the things Wilson has accomplished in his career. Including that mentality of taking every game seriously, even if they’re exhibitions. Nagy can say the preseason won’t decide the quarterback spot all he wants. The truth is Fields can force him to pay attention by playing better than everyone else.
Make it so obvious that he is superior to Dalton and the coaches won’t have any choice but to play him. If Justin Fields gets the locker room on his side, then Nagy will have to follow. He’s never been afraid of going back on his original plans before. He did it last year when he benched Mitch Trubisky after less than three games.
Sure, a promise was made to Dalton that he would start.
Yet that promise was determined by the belief he’d be the one who gives the Bears the best chance to win on Sundays. If he is soundly outperformed by Fields in the preseason, he may fall victim to the realities of the NFL. The need to win overrides all. Including promises made between player and organization.