Matt Nagy Kills Justin Fields Rookie of Year Campaign
By Peter Dewey
![Justin Fields is currently No. 2 on the Bears QB depth chart. Justin Fields is currently No. 2 on the Bears QB depth chart.](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/CFP-National-Championship-Presented-by-ATT---Ohio--c482f9c8026544beaf5969c41acccdea.jpg)
Matt Nagy is making it really hard for Chicago Bears fans to like him.
After the Bears made the playoffs last season (which probably saved Nagy’s job), they traded up and drafted quarterback Justin Fields in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft to presumably become the team’s franchise guy.
The Bears also signed veteran quarterback Andy Dalton, and it appears Nagy is content with letting Dalton go into the season as the starter.
Full quote:
— Robert Schmitz (@robertkschmitz) June 15, 2021
"No. I mean Andy is our starter. Again I can't predict anything. You know how it goes. There's so many things that can happen between today and Week 1. But Andy is our starter and Justin is our No. 2 and we're going to stick to this plan."
Lil less definitive. https://t.co/3DK976YCzb
For those of you that have already placed bets on Fields to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year award, this news is less than ideal. WynnBET currently has Fields second on its odds list for the award at +525. He only trails top draft pick Trevor Lawrence (+275).
Fields could find his way into the starting role at some point during the season, but the fact Nagy has been dug in on Dalton for a while is concerning.
Anyone who watched the Dallas Cowboys last season knows that Dalton is an average quarterback on his best day, and the Bears’ window is nearly shut on any chance at a title.
After a great season in 2018, Chicago has regressed each year and is in danger of wasting one of the league’s best defensive units.
Fields shouldn’t be handed the starting job, but fans certainly wish that Nagy would make it more of an open quarterback competition rather than claiming Dalton the starter from day one.
The Bears’ investment in Fields is too much for him to not see the field at some point in his rookie season, but it appears that may not come until later on.
WynnBET has the Bears' odds to miss the postseason at -240. Chicago is also projected to win only 7.5 games in 2021 even though the over (-115) is a slight favorite to the under (-105).