Chicago Bears Training Camp: 5 things to keep an eye on

Chicago Bears training camp always comes with some interesting storylines each year. Last year the quarterback competition was the highlight of camp and the year before there was the infamous kicking competition. With so many new faces and a lot of questions going into this season, training camp is going to provide many things to keep an eye on. Even the smallest tweak of reps for a player can give us insight into how things will play out once the season starts.

Keep an eye on these five things during Chicago Bears training camp

1. Will Justin Fields make Matt Nagy question his decision to start Andy Dalton?

Last year’s quarterback competition was the main attraction of camp. Mitchell Trubisky ended up winning the job, but both he and Nick Foles struggled to get anything going in the offense. This year, Andy Dalton is the announced starter, and Matt Nagy has stood by that even after drafting Justin Fields. While there will not be a true quarterback competition during camp, every throw is going to be scrutinized by the coaches as they determine a timetable for the rookie to take over.

There have been many questions surrounding when Justin Fields will be at the helm of the Bears offense. Some have advocated for him to start Week 1 and others think he should sit a year to learn. Nagy has said they have a plan for his development and they are going to stick to it. With that said, what if Fields absolutely crushes it at camp? What if he outplays Andy Dalton? Will Nagy possibly change his mind?

Andy Dalton will be getting the first-team reps, which goes along with not having an open competition. Still, they are going to be giving Fields as many reps as they can for a “backup.” Yes, Andy Dalton is the starter, but the coaches are trying to prime Justin Fields as quickly as they can.

Once padded practices come around, keep an eye on how Fields is performing. Everyone was raving about his performances at rookie camp and OTAs, so if he continues that trend maybe Matt Nagy takes a second look at who he wants starting Week 1.

I still believe Dalton will be the starter and that is probably the smarter move. There is no need to rush in the rookie, but I am sure he will make it a super tough decision for Nagy.