NFL Fans AND Experts Vote Justin Fields Rookie Of The Year Favorite

Matt Nagy has done everything in his power to pour ice water on the Justin Fields hype. He continues to make one thing clear. Andy Dalton is the starting quarterback of the Chicago Bears. That is the way it is and that is the way it will stay. Fields is the backup. The only way that changes is if Dalton gets hurt or he plays so poorly the team has no choice but to go with the rookie. This doesn't seem to have dampened expectations for Fields' 2021 season. Keep this in mind. There are three rookie quarterbacks who are guaranteed to start Week 1. Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville, Zach Wilson in New York, and Mac Jones in New England. One would think that would compel people to think one of those three alone are favorites to win NFL Rookie of the Year. Apparently, that is not the case as according to Fox Sports, fans still consider Fields the favorite for that honor regardless.

Oh well. Fans are just fans.

It would be a different story among actual experts who get paid to analyze these things. Nope. Seems they are all aboard the Fields train too. NFL.com held a poll among all of its members on who will win every major award this season. When it came to Offensive Rookie of the Year, the Bears quarterback won with seven votes, beating out Wilson who had five. Among them including two former NFL executives in Scott Pioli and Marc Ross. Guys who had parts in picking Tom Brady and Eli Manning. So that says something.

"Why Judy Battista chose Justin Fields: He may not be the Bears' starter out of the gate, but it won't be long until the rookie passer supplants Andy Dalton. Fields' dynamic playmaking and improvisational skills, and the Bears' better overall team, should give him the edge over Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson."

It's apparent almost everybody agrees on one thing. Dalton may be the starter right now, but that isn't going to last long. He will either get hurt or struggle enough to where Nagy gets nervous and puts the kid in. From there, his superior talent will shine through and elevate the offense to enough success that the team wins some football games. Just like he did for two years at Ohio State. [video width="854" height="480" mp4="https://www.sportsmockery.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Justin-Soldier-Fields-Full-Preseason-Highlights-Preseason-2021-NFL-Game-Highlights.mp4"][/video]

Justin Fields will get his chance. It's a matter of when not if

He did pretty much everything possible to win the job this summer. He looked sharp for most of training camp and got steadily better over the course of the preseason. If this were a competition, he would've won it going away. It was never a competition though. Dalton was the guy from the moment Fields landed on the roster. Nagy has a clear plan in mind. One he feels is necessary with his offense and has seen work in the past. Justin Fields is a special talent, but he is still a rookie. The Bears' scheme is complex. It demands a lot of the quarterback in terms of reading defenses, seeing the field, setting protections, and knowing all the routes by his receivers. Mastering all of that takes time. Nagy wants to give him that time without having to take hits along the way. It worked for guys like Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, Donovan McNabb, and Steve Young.

Fields is no different.

The Bears want to get this thing right. They've been haunted by quarterback disappointments for decades. For the first time in years, they truly feel they have a special talent in their midst with him. They want to nurture that the right way and set him up as best they can for long-term success. This is a good thing. Still, the law of averages says he will be out there at some point this season.