Bears rookie quarterback Justin Fields made a strong impression during the preseason, where he showed that he was ready to step in as QB1.
But with Matt Nagy insisting on sticking with his quarterback plan — the one where Fields sits behind Andy Dalton — it wasn’t completely unexpected when Nagy reiterated that Dalton will be Chicago’s starting quarterback in Week 1.
That doesn’t take away from Fields’ impressive preseason performance, where he worked behind a questionable offensive line and with second and third string weapons — of which only two are on the roster in tight ends Jesse James and Jesper Horsted.
NFL on Fox conducted a series of polls following preseason, where fans got to weigh in about the upcoming regular season. Fans voted for Fields to be the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year.
We asked and you voted.
The 2021 Offensive Rookie of the Year will be @ChicagoBears QB @justnfields! 🐻 ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/8tHi7mLTmV
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) September 2, 2021
While Fields is currently the scout team quarterback behind Dalton on the depth chart, there’s a strong belief that Fields will take over sooner rather than later.
After all, Nagy said that when Fields plays — and he believes Fields is ready — will be tied to Dalton’s performance and, ultimately wins and losses. And that could be much sooner than Nagy expected.
