The Chicago Bears immediately named Andy Dalton their starting quarterback after they signed the veteran back in March, and that remains the plan even after they traded up to draft Justin Fields.
Even if Fields outplays Dalton all summer, the former Ohio State star is not going to be Chicago’s starter in Week 1. Bears head coach Matt Nagy reiterated that during an appearance on “The Cris Collinsworth Podcast” this week.
“Andy Dalton is our starter,” Nagy said, via Daniel Greenberg. “Justin is our No. 2 and we are going to stick with this plan. You just got to trust the plan.”
The Bears believe they will be a playoff contender with Dalton under center, which is why they have no intention of rushing Fields. They may not have expected to have a shot to draft Fields when they signed Dalton, but that does not mean they are altering their plan to have Dalton enter the season as QB1.
Fields has been impressive thus far in practice, and he has drawn high praise from some of his teammates. It would not be a surprise if we see him at some point in 2021, but the ruthless social media trolling of the Bears appears to be premature at this point.
