The Chicago Bears made one of the biggest moves of the 2021 NFL Draft on Thursday, trading up from No. 20 to No. 11 to get their quarterback of the future in Justin Fields. However, Bears fans may have to wait a bit before seeing Fields under center as the starting quarterback.
After Thursday's first round, Bears general manager Ryan Pace addressed his new quarterback situation after acquiring Fields. Chicago signed veteran Andy Dalton in free agency to a $10 million deal to be QB1, and for right now, nothing has changed in terms of his status:
Ryan Pace: "Andy (Dalton) is our starter and we're going to have a really good plan in place to develop Justin (Fields)."
— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) April 30, 2021
While Bears fans will surely be impatient, it's no surprise Pace said this and that the franchise is taking this route. Of course, this doesn't necessarily mean Dalton will definitely be the starter Week 1. The veteran will go into training camp as the starter and then things will play out as they may. If Fields impresses so much in training camp and preseason, perhaps Chicago would change direction and just make him the Week 1 starter right away.
The Bears also still have veteran Nick Foles in their quarterback room, but one has to imagine there will be a trade at some point. Chicago probably wouldn't get too much for Foles at this point, but recouping any kind of draft capital would be a plus.
Whatever happens, there's legitimate excitement surrounding the Bears now that they have hope at the quarterback position. It's an unfamiliar position for Chicago, which has seen its share of terrible quarterbacks over the years. However long it takes for Fields to come along and become the starter, the end result will hopefully be worth it.
Follow Us
Subscribe