Chicago Bears Quarterback Battle: Justin Fields vs Andy Dalton
The Chicago Bears shocked their entire fanbase and most of the NFL on April 29, 2021. Ryan Pace traded up from 20th overall to 11th overall to select dual-threat quarterback Justin Fields out of Ohio State. As Fields kept sliding down the first round, the more people were getting surprised. The Bears finally ended the slide by selecting him to be their franchise quarterback.
The Chicago Bears’ fanbase this fired up as a whole since the 2018 season in which they looked nearly unstoppable. Before the Bears have even played a game, the entire fanbase is united and extremely hyped up for their shiny, new toy that could finally deliver the Bears the thing they’ve been striving for: a franchise quarterback.
However, before Fields is handed the job, he has a roadblock in the way. That roadblock is Andy Dalton. Dalton may not wow the fanbase, but regardless, he is a serviceable quarterback that throws a nice ball and is a veteran of the game. He can make his pre-snap reads and has the ability to read the field (something us Bears’ fans haven’t seen a lot of).
As of now, Dalton has the upper hand. Head coach Matt Nagy told Cris Collinsworth that “Andy is our starter and Justin’s our No. 2.” He did however touch on that he “can’t predict anything” and ultimately that anything can happen. We don’t even know when or how Fields could start. So, how could Fields win over Nagy and prove he should be the No.1 and not the No. 2?