NFC North watch: Bears coach Matt Nagy keeps Andy Dalton installed as starting QB
There is no quarterback controversy in Detroit this year with Jared Goff the clear successor to Matthew Stafford. Things aren’t so clear in Chicago, where the Lions’ NFC North rivals are doing everything they can to keep the starting QB situation full of tension.
Bears head coach Matt Nagy revealed this week that rookie Justin Fields will start the final preseason game. It’s normal for the rookies to get extra preseason work, but Nagy added another layer to the onion by saying veteran Andy Dalton will sit out — because Dalton will be the Bears’ Week 1 starter.
Nagy’s devotion to Dalton is nothing new; Dalton has been his starter since camp started. But Fields is the future of the franchise and has been mostly impressive in preseason and training camp thus far.
The decision to ride with Dalton over Fields is a controversial one with Bears fans and the local Chicago media, who are trying to balance the excitement of Fields’ obvious star potential and the acknowledgment that Dalton might be the better quarterback to help the team win in the short-term. Dalton, now 33, led Dallas to a 4-5 record in 2020 after taking over for the injured Dak Prescott. The Bears also have veteran Nick Foles, who is a candidate to get traded before the final 53-man roster is set in Chicago.
