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When the Chicago Bears traded up and selected Justin Fields in the 2021 NFL Draft, it was a revitalizing moment for the franchise. The Bears finally had a franchise quarterback and head coach Matt Nagy had someone who could save his job.
It wasn’t a surprise when Nagy called Andy Dalton Chicago’s starting quarterback entering the summer. Veterans earn that respect and Fields needed to prove in training camp and the preseason that he deserved to be QB1.
it didn’t take long for Fields to prove he is ready to be a Week 1 starter and deserves a shot in a quarterback competition. He generated rave reviews from players and reporters at practice, made side-arm throws you see from NFL MVPs and went off in his preseason debut.
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But Nagy won’t budge off his commitment to Dalton and as the Bears’ last preseason game showed, Chicago’s head coach is doing a disservice to the entire organization.
Mitchell Trubisky finding success away from Chicago Bears
It’s fitting that the Bears faced the Buffalo Bills in the preseason. With Josh Allen resting, it created an opportunity for Mitchell Trubisky to prove himself against his former team. The former No. 2 pick chose Buffalo for a reason, offensive coordinator Brian Daboll creates an offensive system that tailors to his quarterback’s strengths.
“Coach Daboll definitely made it very attractive to come here in the conversations I was having with him, how he plays to his quarterback’s strengths, no matter if it’s Josh in there or somebody else. He says he’s going to call the game to the quarterback’s strengths and allow his playmakers to get open and make plays.”
Buffalo Bills QB Mitch Trubisky on offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, via Buffalo News
We saw that on full display against the Chicago Bears defense. Buffalo uses a lot of pre-snap motion, which helped Trubisky identify the coverages before the play. During Trubisky’s years in Chicago, the Bears had one of the lowest pre-snap motion rates in the NFL.
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It made a difference, especially when combined with the quick passes and creative elements of Daboll’s offense. By the time Trubisky walked off the field, he completed 20-of-28 passes for 221 yards, one touchdown and a 106.4 passer rating.
The NFL world was buzzing about Daboll potentially revitalizing Trubisky’s career. On the other side, Nagy was botching his quarterback situation.
Setting up Justin Fields to lose quarterback battle
The Bears certainly have to feel embarrassed by Saturday’s performance against Buffalo, which resulted in a 41-15 thrashing. Blowouts happen, but a more alarming issue from that matchup was how Nagy set Fields up to lose ground in any potential quarterback competition.
Nagy was determined to give Dalton, a 10-year NFL veteran, more snaps than he saw in the preseason opener. In fact, he was more than willing to do it at the expense of his rookie quarterback’s development.
Each of Chicago’s first four offensive drives ended after three plays. While Dalton isn’t at fault for one series ending on a fumble, he failed to produce points on four different occasions. With the Bears trailing 28-0, Nagy decided to keep Dalton out there with the first-team offense for the second quarter.
Dalton threw a 73-yard touchdown to Rodney Adams. While some saw it as Dalton silence the fans who booed him as he walked onto the field before the drive, the ball was actually underthrown and it took a great catch by Adams to make the big play.
Most coaches, excluding those who would have already named Fields the starter, would pull Dalton at this point. He ended his day on a relative bright note and pulling him would allow Fields to get snaps with the first-team offense.
Instead, Nagy sent Dalton out for two more drives to finish the first half. When Fields finally put on his helmet, Chicago’s second and third-string players were in the game.
Against a strong pass rush, the backups to one of the worst offensive lines in the NFC became turnstiles. Fields was under constant pressure, but still found a way to make a few plays. But while there were a few bright moments, drops and a woeful offensive line resulted in the rookie finishing the day with a 59.1 passer rating.
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Matt Nagy is sinking the Bears
Following Saturday’s ugly loss, Nagy doubled down on Dalton as the starting quarterback. In his own words, the Bears need to see him in the regular season.
There was buzz surrounding the Bears entering the preseason, people were excited to see how this offense would operate with Fields under center. Unfortunately, Nagy refuses to budge on his approach to the game and this quarterback situation.
Nagy is determined to stick with the model he saw during his stint with the Kansas City Chiefs. Patrick Mahomes was a far more talented quarterback, but Andy Reid wanted to stick with veteran Alex Smith. Smith had a good season, but it’s fair to wonder if Kansas City goes even further in the playoffs with a more gifted passer.
This situation also isn’t the same. Dalton has proven he isn’t even on the level Smith was back then and the Bears’ roster isn’t remotely good enough to compete for the playoffs. But Nagy isn’t willing to adapt.
Maybe that shouldn’t be a surprise. We only saw signs of life from the Bears’ offense in 2020 after Bill Lazor took over play-calling duties in November. But Nagy didn’t like giving up that control and announced in April he will be calling plays this season.
Fields is the Bears’ franchise quarterback and it is only a matter of time before he is promoted. But it’s increasingly clear that Chicago will need to find a new head coach in 2022.