The future is now: Justin Fields named Bears starter over Andy Dalton
It took the Chicago Bears two and a half games to realize Justin Fields was the right man for the job.
Fields will remain the team's starter, even when Andy Dalton is healthy, head coach Matt Nagy announced Wednesday.
The news comes as a surprise considering Nagy called Dalton the team's starter Monday. Dalton started the first two games for the Bears. He injured his knee during the team's Week 2 win over the Cincinnati Bengals and is still recovering. Up until Wednesday, Nagy was adamant Dalton would remain the starter when he was healthy enough to play.
It's unclear what changed in those two days. Perhaps the Bears felt better about Fields after watching tape from the team's Week 4 win over the Detroit Lions, or perhaps Nagy knows his job is dependent on winning with Fields.
No matter the reason, Nagy is confident Fields is the best choice for the team.
Matt Nagy on Justin Fields taking over as the starting quarterback of the #Bears: “He’s earned it.”
Adds: “This is Justin’s time, we’re so confident moving forward.”— StaceyDales (@StaceyDales) October 6, 2021
Fields and the Bears will take on the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.
Justin Fields dealing with growing pains in two starts
The Bears have already seen the positives and negatives with Fields over two starts. Fields — and the rest of the team's offense — was miserable in his first start against the Browns. He was sacked nine times as the Bears averaged 1.1 yards per play, one of the worst figures for a team this century. Fields didn't get a lot of help from Nagy's play-calling or the Bears' offensive line.
His second start proved much better. Fields remained upright, taking only one sack in a win over the Lions. The Bears relied heavily on the run game, giving David Montgomery 23 carries.
Fields wasn't asked to throw often, but he showed off some impressive arm strength and precision that gave fans a glimpse of his immense upside.
Fields felt more comfortable the second time around, and gave credit to offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, who took over play-calling duties from Nagy in Week 4. Lazor will presumably continue in that role now that Fields is the team's unquestioned starter.
Both men will face a much stiffer challenge in Week 5. At 3-1, the Raiders look much improved this season. On top of that, Montgomery is expected to miss time with a knee injury, putting more pressure on Fields and Lazor to prove themselves.