There’s newfound excitement for the Chicago Bears’ season that has everything to do with rookie quarterback Justin Fields and the hope that he presents for this franchise.
Fans are ready to see him go already, and it’s only May. But it sounds like they might have to wait a little bit before seeing Fields in a regular-season game.
GM Ryan Pace reiterated that Andy Dalton will be Chicago’s starter when the season begins, which will allow Fields to develop. But the bigger question has become: What happens if Fields proves that he’s ready to start? Will Matt Nagy continue to sit him behind Dalton in an attempt to replicate Patrick Mahomes’ rookie season with the Chiefs in 2017?
Fans and analysts around the league believe that if Fields is ready to go, he should be the team’s starting quarterback, whenever that is.
It’s a sentiment shared by quarterbacks coach/passing game coordinator John DeFilippo, who assured everyone that when Fields is ready, he’ll be starting.
“Like [Nagy] said, I think we’ll all know when it’s Justin’s time to go win a football game,” DeFilippo told reporters Wednesday. “I’m a big believer in that as well.”
While Fields has yet to hit the practice field at Halas Hall, DeFilippo has been working with Fields over Zoom, where he’s been helping Fields with motions and formation shifts using flashcards, as detailed by Nagy.
That will change Friday when rookie minicamp begins and DeFilippo will finally get to work with Fields on the practice field.
“Obviously we’ll know a lot more about Justin after this weekend in terms of where he’s at mentally and the way he processes and thinks and those things,” DeFilippo said. “It’s hard to tell over Zoom until you really get your hands on a player. I think we’ll know a lot more after this weekend in terms of where he’s at from a mentally processing standpoint.”
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