Matt Nagy's Job Depends on Justin Fields' Development
By Peter Dewey
Chicago Bears fans are excited for a new era with rookie quarterback Justin Fields already being tabbed as the savior to end the team’s revolving door at quarterback.
Fields has yet to play an NFL snap, but his success will have a major impact on the future of Bears head coach Matt Nagy. Entering his fourth season in Chicago, Nagy’s seat is warm, if not hot, with the Bears desperate for some playoff success.
The Bears were 8-8 last season and made the playoffs as a wild card team, but Vegas doesn’t see them building on that success in 2021. WynnBET has the Bears’ projected win total for this coming season set at 7.5 with the over (-125) favored to the under (+104).
It’s a little bit of a slap in the face for a Bears team that won eight games in 2020 with Nick Foles and Mitch Trubisky trading turns at quarterback. Is the drafting of Fields not enough to get the Bears over .500 in a 17-game season?
Vegas doesn't think so.
Fields may not be the starter from the jump. The Bears did sign veteran Andy Dalton this offseason, but Fields should start at some point in his rookie year, if not to open the season. Bears fans hope it is sooner rather than later, but after watching Nagy’s management of the Bears’ quarterback situation the past three seasons, there is plenty of reason to be skeptical.
Last season, Nagy benched Trubisky in Week 3 against the Atlanta Hawks after a 2-0 start. Foles led the Bears to a win, but they went 2-5 over the next seven games. Nagy responded by re-inserting Trubisky as the starter and he finished out the season with the job.
Trubisky is now in Buffalo, and his lack of development is certainly concerning given Nagy's role in his seeming regression. However, Nagy has been saying all the right things when it comes to bringing Fields along as the quarterback of the future.
"We are in a position right now where, with the three quarterbacks that we have, we know that we got to put a really good plan together for all three of those guys. The obvious one here with the draft just happening is with Justin Fields and us going up to get him. We know what we have sitting in front of us with him. We gotta make sure that he has a successful entry plan and we don't know how that's gonna look. But at the same point and time, we have Andy Dalton on our roster. Andy's come in here and done a really good job in these Zoom meetings and he's really excited, too, to be a big part of this and see what he can do with us. It is unique. It's gonna be different."
It’s one thing to say you need a successful plan and it’s another to actually create one. Can Nagy be trusted with that? History (the Trubisky era) says no. But, with his job on the line, maybe Nagy will rise to the occasion. Bears fans certainly hope he does.