Matt Nagy and the Bears refusal to start Justin Fields is perplexing and frustrating more than just fans in Chicago.
The Chicago Bears debuting Justin Fields in Week 1 was not exactly what anyone had envisioned.
Rather than being a triumphant changing of the guard for a fanbase desperate for a franchise quarterback, his debut was a joke.
Andy Dalton was signed in March to be the Bears starting quarterback, and at the time Chicago’s front office had no idea it would be in a position to take Fields in the first round of the NFL Draft. When that happened, Bears fans rejoiced for as long as they could before remembering just how dysfunctional the franchise is.
When will we see Fields take his place as the Bears quarterback of the future?
It’s a question that becomes more pressing as the embarrassing losing continues for Chicago. Former NFL offensive lineman Nick Mangold has been watching the drama unfold like the rest of us and is just as confused.
“It’s some of the stupidest things you’ve ever heard,” Mangold said on the Big Man Bets podcast about the Bears excuses for not starting Justin Fields.
He offered some extra texture to the debate, giving the perspective of what it must be like to be in the Bears locker room right now.
“You know what you have in Andy Dalton, that’s guaranteed for the past ten years. You need to jump into the fire with Justin Fields and see what you have. I know he’s electric and can get the job done through his arm and his legs. So the fact that they’re holding on and they put this date, that really bothers me,” Mangold said. “Especially if I was sitting in the offensive line room and we’re playing games but we’re like ‘oh we’ll wait until Week 4 to put him in’, I’d be devastated and angry.”
To the Bears credit, despite a staunch stance that Fields wouldn’t play, Matt Nagy used him to orchestrate a scoring drive on Sunday night.
Despite this, the Bears lost by double-digits and have merely teased fans with what the future holds rather than delivering it right now.