Chicago Bears list QB Justin Fields as questionable for Sunday’s game — and backup Trevor Siemian says he’ll be ‘ready to go’ if needed
The Chicago Bears are hoping to carry a decision on the status of quarterback Justin Fields until kickoff Sunday against the New York Jets.
Fields is questionable for the game at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., after being limited on the injury report all week. He suffered a separated left shoulder with ligament damage Sunday in a road loss to the Atlanta Falcons. If he cannot go, Trevor Siemian will replace him.
“We’ll see where it goes,” coach Matt Eberflus said Friday at Halas Hall. “It’s really a three-prong effect. It’s really more about the medical staff clearing him all the way into that status, him feeling really good about his performance being able to go out there and then as coaches assessing where he is throughout the week of practice.”
The Bears will hold a walk-through Saturday morning before traveling to New Jersey, so it’s possible they could evaluate Fields and see how he is doing Sunday morning. Two sources said they believe there is a high likelihood Siemian will start as the Bears (3-8) try to avoid a five-game losing streak for the third consecutive season. The scenario of Siemian starting would not come as a surprise given the organization doesn’t want to see Fields suffer further injury during a season in which he has shown promise.
Fields injured his non-throwing shoulder when he was tripped up near the sideline by Atlanta Falcons cornerback Dee Alford. Fields landed on his left shoulder and remained in the game for the final two offensive plays. Eberflus said Fields continues to improve, and the best news came earlier in the week when the coach said the injury would not require the quarterback to spend time on injured reserve.
Siemian, 30, a Northwestern product drafted in the seventh round by the Denver Broncos in 2015, was signed to a two-year contract. He is 13-16 record as a starter, including an 0-4 mark last season with the New Orleans Saints. Siemian threw 10 touchdown passes and only three interceptions in those starts.
“Every week, you’re ready to go,” Siemian said Friday. “You anticipate to play every week truly. That’s how you have to prepare to stay in it. No different than any other week.”
Siemian said his chemistry with wide receivers Darnell Mooney, Chase Claypool, Equaniemous St. Brown and others, along with tight end Cole Kmet, is “as good as it can be for being a backup.
“That’s part of my job, too, staying back and watching guys run routes, reading their body language, going over coverages, staying engaged in meetings,” he said. “I feel good where that’s at.”
The team cleared Fields medically to practice this week, but Eberflus on Friday sounded as if the quarterback needs an additional level of clearance to face a live defense. Contact on the QB is off-limits in practice.
“If he plays, we’re going to hit him,” Jets coach Robert Saleh told New York media Friday morning. “If he doesn’t, we’re going to hit the next guy.”
The Jets are tied for fourth in the NFL with 32 sacks and — of course — the Bears have allowed the most sacks in the league at 40.
If the Bears sit Fields, it will mark the 13th consecutive season in which they have used at least two starting quarterbacks. Jay Cutler (2009) and Rex Grossman (2006) are the only quarterbacks to start every game in a season since 2000. Looking ahead, the team’s open date comes in Week 14 after the Dec. 4 game against the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field. That means it’s possible Fields could miss two games and get three weeks of rest before potentially returning for the final four games.
Of course, that’s only speculation with Eberflus and the Bears intent on taking every minute possible to reveal their intentions. Fields’ injury is a reminder of the risk the Bears have with a dual-threat quarterback being exposed to defenders. He has 122 carries — 46 in the last three games — and when you add in the sacks and hits, that’s a lot of collisions.
Fields last season missed two games with a rib injury suffered on a third-down scramble in a Week 11 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. He returned to start two more games before an ankle injury in a Week 15 loss to the Minnesota Vikings sidelined him for two more games. He was in line to return for the season finale at Minnesota before he was placed on the COVID-19/reserve list.
Now, the Bears are playing the waiting game — or making everyone else wait — before selecting Sunday’s starter.
“My preference is for (Fields) to play if he’s 100% ready,” Eberflus said.
More injury news: Strong safety Jaquan Brisker, cornerback Kyler Gordon and linebacker Sterling Weatherford were all ruled out for the game. All three rookies are in the NFL’s concussion protocol.
