What recent veteran vs. rookie QB battles mean for Justin Fields

When the Chicago Bears traded up to select Justin Fields with the 11th pick in the 2021 draft, it gave the Bears some new life at the quarterback position. After the failed Mitch Trubisky experiment, fans were excited to have a fresh start with another young prospect. It’s no secret that it’s just a matter of time before Justin Fields takes the reigns of the Bears offense, but when that time will be is still unknown.

The Bears signed Andy Dalton to a $10 million dollar deal this offseason, and head coach Matt Nagy has insisted Dalton will be the team’s week one starter. Dalton is an experienced quarterback, but he doesn’t bring the excitement and intrigue to the table that Justin Fields does. Even though Nagy didn’t formally call for a quarterback competition, it hasn’t stopped the fans and media from declaring one of their own from the second training camp started.

Rookie vs. Veteran QB battles are nothing new

In recent years, teams have made active efforts to ease their young quarterbacks into the starting lineup. They will often do this by starting an older, more experienced quarterback before giving the keys to the rookie later in the season. This is meant to give the younger quarterbacks time to adjust to the NFL and make sure they aren’t forced onto the field before they are truly ready. Having a dynamic rookie like Justin Fields has caused Bears’ fans to already start campaigning for him to get the starting nod sooner rather than later.

Here is how recent quarterback battles between rookies and veterans have gone down.