Chicago Bears Hot Take: Using Justin Fields as a gadget QB doesn’t help him
Chicago fans were thrilled to see Justin Fields get playing time in Week 1, but are the limited snaps he is getting helping prepare him for when he becomes the starter?
Does using Justin Fields as a gadget quarterback help him or the Bears’ offense?
Although all Bears fans, myself included, were excited to see Justin Fields get playing time against the Rams, I’m not sure if it really does much to help the offense. There is a reason why there aren’t many offenses that utilize multiple quarterbacks in the NFL — it doesn’t usually work.
Either Andy Dalton is your starter, or Justin Fields is. Doing this halfway thing of starting Dalton and putting Fields in for an occasional play disrupts the flow and rhythm of the offense and makes it more difficult for everyone.
Using Justin Fields like this doesn’t help him either
I’m all for doing what’s best for Fields; he’s the future of the franchise and should be treated as such. The problem is that using him in a limited role like this isn’t going to help him develop much. The Bears used Fields as a Taysom Hill type player against the Rams, but he won’t be used anything like a Taysom Hill once he’s named the starter.
When the 49ers have specific packages they use for Trey Lance, they are using him in a similar way they will want to use him when he becomes the starter. Lance has a similar build and running style to guys like Cam Newton and Taysom Hill, so having designed runs and using him as a goal-line quarterback makes some sense.
Fields, on the other hand, has a different running style. He uses his athleticism more like Russell Wilson or Deshaun Watson, who primarily use their rushing ability to extend passing plays.
I love seeing Fields play, but I’m not sure if having him throw a short pass and then sit for the rest of the quarter is really helping him develop. Either have Fields sit behind Dalton with a clipboard in hand or start him. Doing this mix of both doesn’t do him any favors.
Using Fields for one play a quarter isn’t going to make him any more prepared, and having him on the sideline with his helmet on, waiting for his time, makes it harder for him to take in and learn from Dalton. It seems like the Bears are trying to give him the both of best worlds, but they might be making it so he can’t get much out of either.
Bottom line
This is where Nagy loses me. He spent the entire preseason stressing that Fields needed time to sit, yet he has already rewired the offense to get Fields playing time. This seems to be more of an effort to please the disgruntled fanbase than one to benefit the team or player. If Nagy really thinks utilizing Justin Fields is that important to the offense, he should start him.