Chicago Bears Rumors: Justin Fields close to becoming starting quarterback

Since the Chicago Bears drafted Justin Fields, there has been one plan and one plan only: to keep him as the no. 2 quarterback.

Head coach Matt Nagy has continued to show his support for veteran Andy Dalton throughout the offseason and has stuck with him as his starter. Nagy has used Dalton, along with Nick Foles, as reasons he is excited for his young rookie, stating how great of an opportunity it will be for Fields to learn from them.

He knew he would get questions about Fields and Dalton every single day since the moment the team drafted the former Ohio State quarterback, but Nagy has kept with the plan.

That plan to keep Dalton the starting quarterback going into Week 1 might actually be in jeopardy for the first time, though. People have said and written things all offseason, but it’s been pure speculation up to this point.

One particular Chicago Bears insider believes Justin Fields could be close to taking over as the team’s starting quarterback.

ESPN’s Jeff Dickerson said something profound on Monday morning while on the air. He was taking about Fields taking the starting job from Dalton and had this to say:

"“They’re getting close. They’re not there yet.”"

it appears the Bears are getting close to making the switch, and Fields hasn’t even played in the preseason yet. I would assume that, at this point, all it would take is one preseason game for Nagy to make the switch — maybe two.

Fields will get his first chance to impress this Saturday when the Bears take on the Miami Dolphins in preseason game number one. If he plays well, the pressure will be heavier than ever on Nagy’s shoulders.

Throughout training camp so far, Dalton has had mixed reviews. While wide receiver Allen Robinson has thoroughly enjoyed catching passes from Dalton, the veteran has also thrown quite a few interceptions.

In fact, the bulk of newcomer Alec Ogletree’s interceptions have come off of Dalton — and that’s yet another big success story happening at the moment during camp.

Back to Dalton and Fields, though. Dalton continues to work with the ones, but also continues to throw picks here and there. He’s made some great throws, but so has Fields. In terms of the guy who has turned the ball over the least, that’s been Fields.

The biggest question that remains before throwing Fields in there is whether or not he will be protected. The Bears currently have an offensive line that’s been ravaged by injuries and should first look to find some help up front.

Once the Bears’ offensive line is healthy, then they can think about putting Fields under center with the ones. Assuming the line is healthy by Week 1, we could be seeing the rookie take his first regular season NFL snaps in prime time against the Los Angeles Rams.