Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy confirmed to reporters Wednesday that rookie quarterback Justin Fields will get his first NFL start against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. Andy Dalton suffered a knee injury in the Week 2 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals and isn't ready to play in Week 3, so Fields will start and Nick Foles will be the backup.
Nagy said Dalton isn't expected to go on injured reserve, so he potentially could be ready to play again in Week 4 or 5. The Bears head coach insisted that the veteran will be the starter once he's healthy.
That's all well and good, but if Fields shines, it's going to be hard to go back to the veteran. Chicago traded up to get Fields and he's the future of the franchise, so he's not going to be benched if he shows he belongs out there.
Fields will be facing a tall task in his first NFL start against a quality Browns team in Cleveland. The rookie showed flashes in his first extended action against the Bengals and didn't get much help from his teammates, but he also threw an inexcusable interception that almost cost the Bears the game. He also had a fumble (he recovered it) and committed a couple of penalties, so it was clear he wasn't totally in sync with the rest of the offense.
The hope is that with a full week of practice with the starters, Fields will get better timing with his teammates and be more prepared against Cleveland. Expectations should be tempered given the circumstances, but Bears fans should still be excited to see their quarterback of the future start his first game.
Chicago and Cleveland are both 1-1 on the season after losing their respective openers, followed up by Week 2 wins.
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