When the Bears drafted Justin Fields, Andy Dalton knew that his time was limited as Chicago’s starting quarterback. Still, he assumed the role of mentor while building relationships with his new teammates and acclimating to a new offense.
Everyone, including Dalton, knew that Fields would take over as the starting quarterback at some point. But no one expected it would be due to injury.
Dalton suffered a bone bruise in his knee during a scramble in the second quarter of Chicago’s game against the Bengals, which knocked him out of the game. Fields stepped in for the duration, where he an overall shaky performance that was to be expected from a rookie.
While there were communication errors and some mistakes, including an interception, Fields made a play when his team needed one. Facing a needed third-and-9 conversion to put the game away, Fields picked up the first down with his legs.
This video of Dalton cheering on Fields from the sidelines during and after that play is the stuff you love to see and showcases how good of a teammate Dalton is, no matter the circumstance.
Gotta love @AndyDalton14 cheering on @JustnFields from the sideline.
(via @NFLFilms) @ChicagoBears pic.twitter.com/Bn66ILU5XA
— NFL (@NFL) September 21, 2021
While Matt Nagy explained — via a PR person — that Dalton would be the starter if he was healthy, Dalton’s prognosis of a bone bruise will sideline him for several weeks. Although, right now, he’s considered week-to-week.
That means Fields will be making his first NFL start Sunday against the Browns, and there’s a good likelihood that, over the next couple of weeks, Fields can lock down the permanent starting job.
