Matt Nagy didn’t rule out possibility of Justin Fields winning Bears’ starting QB job

The Chicago Bears have a plan in place for rookie quarterback Justin Fields, which is to bring him along slowly behind veteran Andy Dalton.

But, as we all know, plans change. Especially when you have a talent like Fields on your roster.

Matt Nagy already named Dalton the starter for Week 1 against the Los Angeles Rams, but even he acknowledged things can change between now and the start of the regular season. Although, at one point, he said Fields couldn’t do anything to win the job in camp.

When Nagy met with the media for the start of training camp on Tuesday, he raved about Fields’ development just between the offseason program and the last three days, given rookies and quarterbacks reported back on Saturday.

But perhaps the most telling thing during Nagy’s press conference was what he didn’t say.

When asked about whether Fields could impress enough to earn the starting job in Week 1, Nagy didn’t rule out the possibility. To be fair, he dodged the question entirely. But that could leave the door open for Fields to wow enough to earn the starting job right out of the gate.

With Nagy committed to playing the long game with Fields’ development — running with the experienced veteran while the rookie develops as the backup — you figure a lot would have to happen in order for Fields to be the starter Week 1 against the Rams.

Not only would it take a stellar training camp and preseason from Fields, but Dalton would have to struggle enough for Nagy to second guess his decision. The Bears feel like they can win a good amount of games with Dalton as the starter.

But with this unofficial quarterback competition getting underway, anything could happen. And that includes Fields winning the starting job for Week 1.

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