It finally happened.
Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy officially named rookie quarterback Justin Fields the team’s starter moving forward — even with a fully healthy Andy Dalton.
“The last couple weeks we’ve had some good conversations internally,” Nagy said on October 6. “Continuing that process this week, it’s led to making the decision to move with Justin as the starter. You know we’ve been patient with this. We’ve grown with him. We’re proud of Justin. He’s been a great teammate from the very beginning.”
Fields showed solid improvements from Week 3 to Week 4, and he made plays Dalton simply couldn’t make, like this:
This was arguably Justin Fields’ best throw of the day.
Hate to see Cole Kmet push off a defender before falling down and calling for a flag. But look at that move from Fields to evade the rusher before throwing a dart.
And this:
Now, heading into Week 5, the job is the rookie QB’s moving forward, and it sounds like Dalton has handled the situation as gracefully and as tactfully as possible.
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Fields Reveals Details of Phone Call With Dalton
After he was named the team’s starter Tuesday night, Fields says he got a phone call from Dalton, and he told the media about the words of wisdom, as well as the strong support he received from the veteran signal-caller:
So after it happened yesterday, Andy called me on the way home and he just told me it was a great opportunity for me and that’d he be here for it all, for everything I needed, and he just didn’t want it to be awkward. He didn’t want our relationship to change because of the situation. So I told him that was very comforting to hear from him. I think, just our relationship has just grown over the past few months. And it’s going to continue grow each and every day. Nick (Foles) and Andy, they’ve both been great to me. They’ve taught me a lot and of course I’m going to be leaning on those guys for the rest of the season to just learn as much as I can from them.
Kudos to Dalton for helping make the transition to starting QB as smooth as possible for Fields. Now, with the rookie taking the reins, the Red Rifle will serve as a strong mentor moving forward.
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Fields: ‘I Think My Teammates Believe In Me’
For his part, Fields says he was slightly surprised to be named the starter — Nagy did just double down on Dalton the day before — but he says Nagy was straightforward when he spoke to his QBs about the plan for the remainder of the season.
“I would say I was a little bit surprised, but I mean, not really crazy surprised,” Fields said. “But definitely a little bit of surprise. I feel like he was pretty straightforward with me and Andy. And I think my teammates believe in me, so just grateful for the opportunity and just trying to get ready to work.”
He’s correct on all counts — especially the part about his teammates believing in him.
“Just him coming in and being so poised, he wasn’t, like, flustered or anything,” veteran defensive tackle Mario Edwards said about Fields after he took over for an injured Dalton Week 2, via Sports Illustrated. “He was put in some difficult situations and he was a pro about it, and he came out with the W.”
Veteran left tackle Jason Peters, a future Hall of Famer, compared Fields to Michael Vick earlier this season.
“Well, guys like Justin and Mike, those kind of guys that can use their feet, they’re always going to try to make a play,” Peters told The Chicago Sun-Times. “So those kinds of guys are scary. They’re definitely similar [in terms of] arm strength and mobility.”
That’s some high praise from two defensive veterans — and now, Fields is going to get the opportunity to lead them for good.
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Justin Fields Details Call From Andy Dalton After Being Named Starter