Matt Nagy addresses Bears quarterback situation ahead of Week 4
Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy continues to add intrigue to the Bears’ starting quarterback role, which began as a two-man race between rookie Justin Fields and veteran Andy Dalton, and has now evolved into a three-man competition between the aforementioned candidates and Nick Foles.
“They’re all three under consideration right now in regard to where they’re at,” Nagy said of the Bears’ quarterback room Monday. “We’ll just have to see the next couple days where they’re all at. We know where Nick [Foles is] at, health-wise, but we just want to keep an eye on Justin and Andy and for us to just stay on that and make sure that we have a plan for any of those.”
The Bears in Week 4 will host the 0-3 Detroit Lions in a favorable matchup for the home team.
As it stands, Dalton is week-to-week with a knee injury, while Fields suffered a minor hand injury against the Browns. Fields’ X-rays came back negative.
When Nagy first announced that Dalton would serve as the Bears starting quarterback — evidently, so the franchise could ease in its franchise first-round draft pick in Fields — he shut down any conversation that Fields was still competing for the role. Instead, he said that Dalton has won the role, and Fields may infrequently see the field as a change-of-pace option.
Two weeks into the season, Dalton was injured on a first-quarter quarterback rush in which he stepped out of bounds untouched. He came up limping after the play and ultimately hobbled to the Bears sideline. Dalton’s non-contact injury was enough for Nagy to remove his starting quarterback and replace him with Fields, who in Week 1 scored his first NFL touchdown on a three-yard goal-line carry.
Three weeks after Bears fans had hoped, Fields was finally named the starter against the Browns last week; however, it was only as a result of Dalton’s injury. Fields did not have a great week under center, but he wasn’t alone in his struggles. He completed just six of his 20 passing attempts for 68 passing yards and no touchdowns, and although Fields did not commit a turnover, the Bears offense was stagnant. Fields’ offensive line provided almost no protection, as he was sacked nine times. Running back David Montgomery added just ten carries for 34 yards to Fields’ performance, and the Bears had just 42 yards of total offense, while converting a horrific one of 11 third-down conversion attempts.
Through the first three games of the season, Dalton has completed 73.5 percent of his passes for 262 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception, and it remains unclear if the TCU product will be available for the Bears come Sunday. Fields, by comparison, has completed just 40 percent of his pass attempts for 138 yards, no touchdowns and an interception. Fields has added 46 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown on 14 carries to his total, too.
Foles, 32, has not yet made an appearance in the 2021 regular season. He was traded to the Bears in March of 2020 after Gardner Minshew took over the Jaguars’ starting role. Foles is well-known for his two stint with the Philadelphia Eagles; in his first stint, he was named to the 2013 Pro Bowl after leading the NFL in passer rating. Years later, after returning in 2017, Foles came off the bench after an injury to then-start Carson Wentz, and led the Eagles to the franchise’s first Super Bowl victory while winning Super Bowl MVP.