LAKE FOREST, Ill. (670 The Score) -- When the Bears hired Ryan Pace as general manager in January 2015, he wasn't expected to land the job. But it was his plan that stuck with chairman George McCaskey, who trusted him to lead the franchise forward.
Now in his seventh season as the Bears' top football executive, Pace is standing behind his conviction once again. This time, Pace isn't budging from a quarterback plan that's drawing scrutiny everywhere but inside Halas Hall.
Pace and the Bears are standing by veteran quarterback Andy Dalton as their starting quarterback, leaving rookie Justin Fields as the backup to open the regular season. As Chicago dreams of Fields being the franchise quarterback it has longed for, Dalton will be leading the Bears out for their first drive against the Rams at SoFi Stadium on Sept. 12 while Fields waits for his turn.
"Right now, I think we have a positive outlook," Pace said Wednesday. "The positive outlook goes off of what we've seen here every day with Andy. That's Andy's going to be leading our offense as Justin is progressing at the right rate.
"Our goal all along has been to win games with Andy and look over on that other field and see, 'Look at this guy right here. Look at the future of the franchise that we have right here.' That's the goal, and we haven't changed from that."
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The Bears signed Dalton to a one-year deal in March, bringing him to Chicago to replace Mitchell Trubisky, the No. 2 overall pick in 2017 and Pace's first draft gamble at quarterback. At the time of Dalton's arrival, the prospect of landing Fields in the draft at the end of April seemed to be a longshot -- though Pace and his brass continued to plot for their chance.
Before the Bears filed their draft card for the No. 11 pick, coach Matt Nagy called Dalton to inform him he would still be the starter and there would be no competition in training camp. The Bears then expressed that a transition at quarterback would be centered around Fields, not Dalton.
"I promise you, every single person will know, including Justin, when it's the right time," Nagy said in May. "And that's naturally how it happens."
The only change in the Bears' plan at quarterback since then is that Fields' readiness isn't the priority anymore -- because he has shown in training camp and preseason games that he's comfortable and poised. For Pace and Nagy, their apparent belief in Dalton as the starter has kept them from diverting and creating a quarterback competition.
Elsewhere in the NFL, rookie quarterbacks will get their opportunity right away. The Jaguars named Trevor Lawrence, the No. 1 overall pick, their starting quarterback. The Jets named No. 2 pick Zach Wilson their starter. The Patriots, a franchise that has won six Super Bowl championships under coach Bill Belichick, released former MVP Cam Newton to name No. 15 pick Mac Jones their starter.
Only the Bears and 49ers with No. 3 pick Trey Lance haven't named their first-round rookie quarterback as the starter. The difference was that Lance competed with incumbent starter Jimmy Garoppolo, while Fields was appointed the backup immediately after being drafted.
Pace and the Bears haven't been willing to reconsider for Fields.
"Our plan is Andy's our starter, and we're rolling with that," Pace said. "I don't think anything's deviated from that as we've gone forward.
"It's more about Andy right now. We're excited about Justin. I'm more excited than anybody. But we're just going to let this thing play out."
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago's sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
