Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy still insists that veteran quarterback Andy Dalton will be the team's starter once the regular season begins, but first-round rookie Justin Fields just might be able to disrupt those plans.
The Ohio State product -- drafted 11th overall by Chicago this spring -- made a rather strong impression in his NFL preseason debut on Saturday, completing 14 of 20 passes for 142 yards and a touchdown. The 22-year-old also rushed for 33 yards on five attempts and scored on a keeper inside the red zone.
"Justin Fields' performance over the weekend against the Dolphins isn't going to do anything but hit the fast-forward button on Andy Dalton to move the hell out of the way," JR said during Monday's edition of the JR SportBrief show. "Fields was the exciting one. And actually, in contrast to [first overall pick] Trevor Lawrence, Fields said the game was slow... That's a big difference from what Lawrence had to say, about being nervous...
"Between head coach Matt Nagy and GM Ryan Pace, these two bought some time. If they weren't able to trade up to draft Fields, they were on the clock to be fired. Fields hasn't only given Bears fans new life -- the possibility that they actually have a franchise quarterback. Fields has come through and given the coach and general manager confidence that they'll actually have jobs."
Fields, who was the third-overall prospect on Pro Football Focus' draft board, played in eight games for the Buckeyes in 2020. The 6-foot-3, 228-pounder made the most of his team's truncated schedule, as he threw for 2,100 yards and 22 touchdowns, rushed for five scores, and helped lead Ohio State to a national title game appearance.
During the era of the 16-game schedule (1978-2020), the Bears were the only team in the NFL that didn't have a single quarterback throw for 4,000 yards or 30 touchdowns in a season. They've also drafted 31 total signal-callers since winning their lone Super Bowl in 1986.
The Bears will open the 2021 campaign in Los Angeles against the Rams on Sept. 12. According to the William Hill Sportsbook, Chicago currently has the third-best odds (+500) to win the NFC North and the 10th-best odds (+2500) to win the conference.
JR's complete thoughts on Fields and the Bears can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow the JR SportBrief show on Twitter @JRSportBrief and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.