The Chicago Bears haven’t deviated from their message to the public for the past three months. When they signed Andy Dalton in March, the plan was clear. He was going to be their starter in 2021. They like his mixture of experience, intelligence, and accuracy to run their system. Even after the team drafted Justin Fields 11th overall, head coach Matt Nagy made sure to squash any rumors of a change in approach. Dalton remains the starter.
The quarterback himself echoed that sentiment during his recent press conference. He expects to be on the field come Week 1, regardless of the Bears drafting Fields. While it is nice to see that mindset in the veteran, there are plenty of people who aren’t buying it. Several insiders and analysts believe that at some point between now and the end of the preseason, Nagy will have a change of heart and decide to start the rookie.
One man took it a step further.
Bill Barnwell of ESPN discussed what went right and what went wrong for the Bears this offseason in his recent article. It was here he made an interesting prediction of sorts. He is of the belief that a point will come where Fields becomes the starter. When that happens, Dalton won’t just be relegated to backup duty. He will end up being traded to another team. Most likely one that had suffered an injury at quarterback.
“For whatever lip service the Bears are throwing out there about sitting Fields, history tells us he’ll be in the lineup sometime in September. Nick Foles would be in line for at least $9 million over the next two seasons, so he’s probably untradeable without eating money, but Dalton would cost another team only $2.5 million in a deal. If a veteran quarterback gets hurt in camp and Chicago can swap Dalton for an offensive lineman, it should take that opportunity.”
While the Bears might prefer to trade Foles instead, his contract makes that difficult. Since the team was able to better structure Dalton’s deal, it will seem far more attractive to other clubs. There is logic to the idea. Injuries do happen in the NFL and some teams may learn their backup situations aren’t overly ideal. If they think they have a roster good enough to make the playoffs, they just might make an aggressive move to acquire Dalton.
Subscribe to the BFR podcast and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
Andy Dalton will control his own destiny here
People are already anxious to get rid of him but the fact is the Bears don’t have to. Not unless Fields just blows them away over the next few months. If the veteran looks sharp in training camp and plays well early in the season? Then the idea of trading him becomes rather counterproductive. Why give away a solid quarterback who is playing well for a Day 3 draft pick? The only way it would make sense is if the acquiring team made a desperate offer.
Chicago is in a pretty decent position regardless. If Dalton starts and plays well? Great. If Fields overtakes him in camp and starts immediately? Fine. They can keep the 33-year old as either a quality backup or trade him to another team for a draft pick. All the while they’d still have Foles waiting to serve as the backup.
It isn’t a terrible situation all things considered.
Andy Dalton himself will determine how this goes. He will get the 1st-team snaps in practice moving forward. The Bears are giving him every opportunity to hang onto the job. Only by wasting it would the idea of a trade come into play. Odds say that isn’t likely to happen. Either he will be the starter or at some point the backup. A series of rare circumstances would lead to him being traded.