Bears Mailbag -- So... Why Not Start Justin Fields Week 1?

The Chicago Bears are five practices into training camp now, with their first full-pad practice coming today at Soldier Field. However, things have been heating up on the field, with Andy Dalton and Justin Fields looking better each day, the defensive front looking stronger than ever, Jesse James coming on strong as TE3, and a fierce battle at the WR and CB positions.

Obviously, fans are giddy about Fields' reported improvements in practice, but Andy Dalton has been no slouch himself -- still separating himself as the better QB right now.  He's been everything the Bears hoped for when they signed him, and he's showing no signs (yet) of relinquishing his hold on the starting job. The Bears' first preseason game is in less than two weeks -- against Miami at Soldier Field.  That'll be the fans' first glimpse of everything in a live game.  Should be fun. With that, let's reach into this week's Bears Mailbag.  Follow me on Twitter @DhruvKoul to continue the conversation.

Bears Mailbag

Back when the Bears drafted Justin Fields, Matt Nagy talked about a plan to ensure that he's truly ready to play before he takes snaps (unless there's an injury).  He repeated that same strategy throughout the offseason. Interestingly, when asked similarly on the first presser of training camp, Nagy didn't quite press that same point.  It led to speculation that Fields must have closed the gap quickly since minicamp. However, the goal remains the same -- Fields has to absolutely be ready, not just physically, but mentally, to take over the QB1 role.  And while Fields has been improving, he is still not a better a QB than Andy Dalton yet.  Dalton has, to the apparent surprise of many, been in complete command/control of the offense in training camp.  He's not just been throwing with anticipation and timing, but accurately, and with a good deep ball.  Five practices in, and he's been the better QB in every practice.  While that's expected for those who are good evaluators, the reality is the Bears have validation in their plan to start a solid veteran in Dalton while Fields continues to learn. Fields has all the physical talent in the world.  In fact, the NFL hasn't seen a physical talent like Fields... maybe ever.  But the challenge with Fields was always going to be mentally -- can he learn the offense, command a huddle, align protections, identify blitzes/coverages, identify what's happening post-snap (quickly), and make the right reads? Fields seems to be checking some of those boxes as we progress in training camp, but he's still got a ways to go.  We haven't even seen them with "live bullets" flying -- in a preseason setting yet. The Bears have a truly solid QB to start in Week 1 while their prized rookie keeps learning.  The NFL is fast and entirely different from what Fields knows at the college level.  The Bears are better off letting Dalton set an example.

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