Chicago Bears: NFL executive believes Justin Fields should start Week 1

Do the Chicago Bears have a quarterback controversy brewing? We all know that Matt Nagy and company are pushing the narrative that Andy Dalton is the QB1. That might be true, but will it remain that way? Today’s preseason game versus the Buffalo Bills could be a deciding factor, but according to FanSided National NFL Insider, Matt Lombardo, one NFL Executive believes Justin Fields should be starting as early as Week 1.

In an anonymous interview with Lombardo, the NFC personnel executive had this to say about the Justin Fields situation:

"He definitely should play Week 1. He’s a damn good football player. He’s in a better situation than Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson. he went to Georgia, he went to Ohio State, he played a lot of football, won a lot of games, physically and mentally, this is a good kid. He’s going to be a good player. He’ll be damn good."

These are the things that Chicago Bears fans want to hear after dealing with the Mitch Trubisky situation. As we all know, I am a Mitch Trubisky stan, but even I have been on record stating that Justin Fields is far and above a better prospect than Trubisky ever was. I am also on record for wanting Deshaun Watson over Trubisky in the 2017 draft too. With his off-the-field issues, neither seem to be working out though.

Justin Fields put pressure on the Chicago Bears coaching staff after how well he played versus the Dolphins in the Bears’ first preseason game. In fact, he had the best debut game among all of the rookie quarterbacks in my opinion. Fields threw one touchdown while running in for another. He showed command of the offense, poise and patience and looked very comfortable versus backup competition.

Now, Matt Nagy and company want to see him both play with better competition and go up against first-string defense. Maybe Nagy and Ryan Pace read my article after the Dolphins game because Nagy told reporters that he also wants to see Fields get some reps with the starters but still made it clear that Andy Dalton is the starting quarterback. Andy Dalton doubled down on this narrative in his recent press conference.

It might be Dalton’s time right now, but could the outcome of this Buffalo Bills game play a part in the decision? Dalton had limited reps versus the Dolphins in the Preseason Week 1, but he didn’t do enough with those reps. He needs to prove himself today to stop a quarterback controversy from continuing to develop.

One Bears source told Matt Lombardo that “this is a kid who is a really, really fast learner. He’s a big and fast guy with arm talent. The best part is, he’s getting better every day.”

Honestly, it seems like the writing is on the wall for Andy Dalton. It is just a matter of when. Will he lose the job before the season starts? Will he struggle and get the hook? Or will he pull an Alex Smith and hold Fields off for the entire 2021 season?