The Chicago Bears are now less than two weeks from their 2021 season-opening game in Los Angeles against the Rams on Sunday Night Football. On Monday, head coach Matt Nagy informed the press that first-round rookie quarterback Justin Fields will lead the scout team to start the season, while Andy Dalton remains the starting quarterback for the Bears. The choice to have Dalton, and not Fields as the team's starting quarterback provides cover for Nagy if the Bears' offense struggles once again.

Nagy Has Chosen The A Quarterback Before To Cover For His Offensive Play-Calling Deficiencies

Last season, the Bears had a quarterback battle during the preseason to determine who their starting quarterback would be. Mitchell Trubisky beat out veteran Nick Foles to start the 2020 season against the Detroit Lions. Although Foles had a better understanding and was better suited to execute Nagy's offense, Trubisky was selected as the starting quarterback because of his mobility and success with the Bears in 2018. The former 2017 second overall draft selection did not last long as Chicago's starting quarterback was benched at halftime of the week three game against the Falcons.

Despite throwing five touchdowns to three interceptions, Trubisky was benched for his inability to read opposing defenses and failure with deep ball accuracy. It seemed that Nagy wanted to make the switch to Foles at the first sign of struggles and proceeded to blame the offense's shortcomings on the fourth-year quarterback. Although the former Pro Bowl quarterback led the Bears' on a 21-point comeback against the Falcons, his performance for the remainder of the season would be sub-par. After Foles was named the Bears' starting quarterback in week four, He progressively got worse as the weeks went on, while the offense performed worse than when Trubisky was quarterback. Despite seeing the same mistakes from the quarterback that was familiar with his offense, Nagy continued to stress that it was the poor quarterback play and not his play-calling that was cause for Chicago's low production on offense. In Foles' final four starts of the 2020 before suffering an injury against the Minnesota Vikings in week 10, the offense scored only four touchdowns in those four games.

Following a bye week in week 11, Trubisky returned as Chicago's starting quarterback, and Bill Lazor took over play-calling duties from Nagy. With Lazor as play-caller, Chicago's offense averaged over 30 points in their final six games while qualifying for the last spot in the NFC Playoffs. Following Chicago's playoff loss to the Saints, Trubisky was let go during free agency while Nagy took back play-calling calling duties for the 2021 season.

Fields Provides Protection For Nagy If The Offense Fails  Again

Although Fields impressed during the preseason with three touchdowns and a passer rating of 96.8, he will serve as a backup to Dalton when the season begins. Nagy has stated several times that the rookie should sit and learn and not be rushed into the starting quarterback position. Fields appears ready and could perform to the same level, if not even better than Dalton, but there is no benefit for the head coach to start the rookie.

Nagy has more to lose if Fields starts the season in week one and the Bears' offense struggles compared to the offense struggling under Dalton. If the 11th overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft oversees a stagnant offense from the beginning of the season, all blame will be placed on Chicago's head coach, who already has a history of deficiencies as a play-caller. If Dalton struggles, Nagy will be able to transition from the veteran quarterback that the media and fans were already skeptical about to the rookie that everyone is excited to see. Any success Fields has will be automatically attributed to Nagy's guidance and his play-calling ability. The rookie will automatically be better at scrambling and being mobile in the pocket than the former Bengals veteran quarterback. Fields' mobility will create a tougher matchup for opposing defenses and gives the Bears' offense a better chance at being unpredictable.

Many forget that this is a make-or-break season for both Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace, as both could be fired at season's end if the Bears don't make the playoffs. For the Bears' head coach, his job could still be in jeopardy if Chicago performs well but struggles again to be consistent on offense. Fields can protect Nagy's job, as with any struggle by Dalton, the head coach can move his rookie into the starting role. It is understandable why many believe that Fields should be the Bears' starting quarterback against the Rams in two weeks, but they need to understand why it doesn't benefit Nagy. Chicago's head coach was hired in 2018 to oversee the growth and development of Trubisky and failed. If Fields were to start and struggle at the beginning of the season, Nagy would absorb the entire blame for the Bears' offensive struggles since 2019. The decision to sit the Bears'rookie quarterback isn't an easy one, but a safe one for the team's head coach.