Andy Dalton’s knee injury has unofficially opened the door for Justin Fields to potentially become the Chicago Bears‘ starting quarterback for the rest of the season.
For the past month, Bears head coach Matt Nagy has said Dalton will be the team’s starter. The fans considered it a foolish decision, especially after seeing Fields play well in the preseason.
Well, we now know why Nagy wanted to hold off on starting Fields. According to ESPN insider Adam Schefter, the Bears wanted to keep Fields on the bench for as long as possible so he could learn from Dalton.
“Listen, they went into the season with the plan that Andy Dalton would be the starter for as long as he could be this year. In a perfect world, as Matt Nagy did in Kansas City when Patrick Mahomes was drafted there in the first round on the bench and sat for the first 15 of 16 games learning from Alex Smith, that was the plan here,” Schefter said. “That Justin Fields would sit on the bench, hopefully, preferably for the whole season.”
Schefter did admit that Chicago’s plan was never really realistic due to a number of factors.
“Now, that [plan] is probably not realistic and probably not practice because at some point in time the team would lose, Andy Dalton would struggle, whatever it may be. But that was the plan and they’re sticking to it right now, saying Andy Dalton will be the guy once he’s healthy.”
.@AdamSchefter on Justin Fields getting the start in Chicago:
“That was the plan here, that Justin Fields would sit on the bench, hopefully, preferably for the whole season. … They’re sticking to that right now saying that Andy Dalton will be the guy once he’s healthy.” pic.twitter.com/MesXVEzYLZ
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) September 23, 2021
If Fields plays well against the Browns this weekend, Schefter said Dalton will “need another week” for his knee injury to heal. In other words, the Bears would want to see a bit more from their rookie quarterback.
Fields will face a ton of pressure this Sunday, but he told reporters that he’s ready for this moment. All eyes will be on the 11th overall pick this weekend, that’s for sure.
The post Adam Schefter Reveals Chicago’s “Plan” At Quarterback appeared first on The Spun.