Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields suffered a rib injury in a Week 11 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, which sidelined the rookie for one week. But there’s an encouraging sign that Fields could make his return to the starting lineup.
Bears head coach Matt Nagy met with the media ahead of Wednesday’s practice, where he confirmed Fields will return to practice.
The distinction of limited or full participation was unclear until Nagy revealed that backup quarterback Andy Dalton will take starter reps during Wednesday’s practice, an indication that Fields will be a limited participant.
Nagy also says Andy Dalton will take the starters reps in practice today, so that's a strong indication Fields is still limited. https://t.co/fYRPsrFTjI
— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) December 1, 2021
Fields suffered cracked ribs in that loss to the Ravens, which caused him to miss Chicago’s Thanksgiving game against the Detroit Lions. Still, the prognosis was positive as it was believed Fields wouldn’t miss too much time before returning.
Nagy also confirmed that linebacker Roquan Smith won’t practice Wednesday, which isn’t too much of a surprise after he suffered a hamstring injury last Thursday against the Lions.
We’ll know the full extent of Fields and other players when the Bears release their first injury report of the week ahead of Sunday’s game against the Cardinals.
