Last week, the NFL world was shocked when the Patriots outright cut Cam Newton. “Our future is going to be Mac Jones at quarterback,” said Bill Belichick after the surprising move. This inspiring vote of confidence in the young quarterback from a genius coach like Belichick has caused Bears fans to once again reevaluate the Andy Dalton signing. A move like this poses the question: Is starting Andy Dalton really beneficial for the development of Justin Fields, or is Matt Nagy just afraid to admit his original plan is wrong?
Now this is going to come off as aggressive, but let me start by saying that Matt Nagy is one of the most stubborn coaches in the league. He insists on running gimmick plays that do not work every single game, and refused to give up play calling duties until he was on the hot seat last year, a duty he has since reclaimed. He is very similar in his stubbornness when it comes to the quarterback position. He kept Nick Foles in too long as the starter last season when the Bears needed a change at the position, along with other issues he and Mitch Trubisky both had. Nagy and Mitch both brought the worst out of each other, and while I do not think Mitch is a very good quarterback, there were things that Nagy could have done differently in his coaching that would have given him a better chance at success. The same flaws he had in college are still apparent in his game, and Nagy could have done a better job at improving some of them, since that was his job to help Mitch fix those flaws.
There is a huge fear throughout the fanbase and organization that Justin Fields may be rushed into action when he is not ready. He has a tremendous amount of pressure to live up to after Trubisky’s disappointing tenure and on paper he is arguably the most talented quarterback the Bears have ever had. However, Justin Fields looked very solid throughout the preseason. In his limited preseason time he threw for 368 yards, 3 TDs, 0 interceptions, and completed 61% of passes. He showed the accuracy and mobility that made him a top draft prospect in the first place. The cries to start Fields have grown louder after his impressive showing, and the fanbase’s already limited patience with Dalton starting has gotten even shorter.
Andy Dalton struggled in the preseason, as he had a mediocre statline of just one touchdown, an interception, and a 62 percent completion percentage. However, he still has leadership qualities that could be very beneficial for Fields to sit and learn behind. Another reason Dalton has the upper hand is because the offensive line is going to be very brutal this season. While Dalton is obviously not a long term answer, I do think he should still start for at least the first few weeks. If he struggles mightily then let Fields take a crack at starting, but with the high pressure for Fields to succeed, rushing him out to a horrendous O line would be like throwing him out to the wolves, as he has an increased chance of injury or losing confidence. The Bears situation is different from New England’s, New England’s coaching is better and the offense is more set for immediate success than ours.
The Chicago Bears have a bright future, they do not need to risk that future in 2021. As much as it sucks to see Fields on the bench, I would rather have one more year of mediocre football if it means we get a decade of the greatest quarterback play the franchise has seen. Until Dalton proves that his level of play is bad enough where Fields is no longer learning from him, he should be starting.
What are your thoughts on the Fields/Dalton situation? Let me know in the comments.