Window Of Opportunity Open For Bears' Fields If Rookie's Ready

Chicago IL

24 September, 2021

7:13 PM

Description

CHICAGO — Justin Fields will make his first NFL start on Sunday. What's the worst that could happen? OK, considering the sometimes-shaky and unsettled nature of the Bears offensive line, maybe giving "Bear Down" a new meaning when it comes to the rookie quarterback's health isn't the cheeriest of thoughts. Still, getting Fields on the field now rather than later this season seems to be what Bears fans want. I mean, how many Andy Dalton jerseys do you see floating around town these days? Starting in an NFL game is an opportunity Fields says he's prepared for his whole life. Sunday's game is a chance to jumpstart his career faster than the Bears front office planned. An injury to Dalton's knee last week against the Bengals forced coach Matt Nagy's hand in rushing Fields into action faster than he wanted. This season was supposed to be about development. Dalton's knee injury changed that. Yet, ever since the Bears moved up in the NFL Draft to nab the former Ohio State star, Fields has said all the right things. He has insisted he's willing to wait his turn and learn and develop under two veterans like Dalton and Nick Foles. Now, Fields' mantra has changed to, I'm ready. Now that his chance is here — starting with Sunday's road test in Cleveland — Fields has a big opportunity to permanently change his status from quarterback in waiting to quarterback here to stay. Nagy said this week that Dalton remains the Bears starter and will return to that role as soon as his knee allows. That sounds like a convenient truth to Dalton, who was brought in to develop his eventual replacement. Let's consider the possibilities, though. What if Fields, who picked up his first victory last weekend, is lights out against the Browns? What if everything suddenly falls into place and the offensive line affords him enough protection to keep him out of harm's way? What if he wins another game, looks good doing so and, in turn, forces Nagy to go back on his word? What happens if Fields doesn't play well? Do Bears fans chalk it up to a learning curve, or is it evidence Nagy's plan for Fields was right all along? There's no doubt Fields has the skills to take over the job. His athleticism and throwing touch are there. What's not there — yet — is the experience of making split-second decisions against NFL defenses, or the complete mastery of the Bears' offense that wasn't necessarily designed with his skillset in mind. But Fields showed last week he can adapt on the fly and get the job done. How long will that chance last? Nagy said this week that Dalton will miss at least two weeks with a knee injury that is keeping Dalton's status more week-to-week than day-to-day at this point. How's that for a window of opportunity for Fields? Fields said he always maintains a starting quarterback's mentality and told reporters early on that the competitor in him is wired in such a way to overtake any challenger that stands in his way. Right now, that's Dalton and maybe, in some respects, it's the challenge of changing Nagy's mind. But for the immediate future, the biggest challenge standing in front of Fields is to win, build confidence and to prove that he's poised to take the job over now rather than when Dalton is no longer a viable option. "I think (my teammates) have a lot of trust in me," Fields told reporters this week. "Them having my back and having confidence in me that I'm going to go out there and execute, that's kept me comfortable and kept me poised and confident." Now, it's up to the teammates who line up in front of him to keep him healthy. If not, well, that changes everything.