What many assumed would happen has finally been confirmed. Andy Dalton, not Justin Fields will be the Week 1 starter for Chicago. Head coach Matt Nagy confirmed the team’s decision to go with the veteran at his Tuesday press conference, announcing that Dalton would sit out the team’s preseason finale against the Titans.
Fields is expected to play the entire first half, with 3rd string quarterback Nick Foles cleaning up the 2nd half of the game. The 11th overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft had more than his fair share of highlights in the preseason, and there was a strong push from fans to name him their day 1 starter. However cooler heads prevailed in the Windy City.
With a primetime Sunday Night Football date with 2020’s best defense in the Los Angeles Rams looming, and a banged up offensive line to boot, the Bears elected not to throw their prized prospect to the wolves in Week 1. Instead, fans will be left to speculate when Fields will make his NFL debut this season for a few more weeks as the rookie pivot will be on clipboard duty for the foreseeable future.
Nagy talked at length about how good Chicago feels about it’s quarterback room right now to reporters Tuesday. But for fans pinning their hopes on the former Buckeye to become the signal caller Chicago has been lacking for decades now, the wait better be a short one. When it comes to the nation’s 3rd largest media market, patience will be hard to come by. Every Dalton miscue will serve as talk radio fodder the following day with the cries for Fields intensifying as the season wears on.
To his credit, Dalton is a true professional and has spoken highly of the young QB throughout training camp and the preseason. He’s fully aware that at this stage of his career it’s a matter of “when” not “if” Fields suits up for game action. While Dalton appears to have picked up the playbook quicker than his rookie counterpart, Fields’ ability to scramble for big gains, and extend plays outside the pocket are things that the Red Rifle can’t match heading into his 11th NFL campaign.
For now, Fields is nothing more than a stash on your fantasy bench. Taking a late round flier on him isn’t the worst idea, especially in deep leagues where he’ll likely command a high waiver wire price when it’s announced that he’ll take over starter duties. Expect top 8 QB rushing numbers from him out of the gate, with sneaky top 3 or 4 upside. Unlike other mobile QB’s who tend to rely almost exclusively on their legs, Fields has a polished passing game to compliment his speed. A 20TD, 5 rushing TD campaign isn’t out of the question assuming he gets at least 10 starts this season.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner