The Chicago Bears have had a whirlwind week. Justin Fields made his pro debut in the preseason Week 1 win against Miami — and he looked OK. Then the Bears signed future Hall of Fame LT Jason Peters to compete for a job at LT. And THEN the Bears announced that Teven Jenkins’ scheduled back surgery yesterday and that he’d be out indefinitely.
Yikes. https://t.co/HXFdU2W6NH
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) August 18, 2021
Yikes, indeed.
The Bears have a lot to be excited about this season, with Fields representing more legitimate hope than they ever had in Mitch Trubisky’s tenure. The offense has a lot of speed on it. The defense looks rejuvenated with Sean Desai at DC. And fans have bought in.
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They better hope things come together quickly.
With that, let’s reach into this week’s Bears Mailbag. Follow me on Twitter @DhruvKoul to continue the conversation.
Bears Mailbag
I frankly can't imagine the Bears *not* being successful if Andy Dalton is playing good football. This team has always needed just competent QB play — if Dalton is giving that to them, they're golden.
I don't think they trade him, no.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) August 19, 2021
A bit more color for this one: I truly believe the Bears value Andy Dalton not just for the steadiness he can bring to the position while Justin Fields gets himself ready, but also for what he can learn from him. Dalton has embraced being a mentor and taking Fields under his wing, and nothing matters more to the Bears than getting Fields ready to take over the Bears’ starting QB job for the next 10-15 years.
If a QB injury happens to a prominent team elsewhere around the league and they come calling with a first- or second-round pick, then the Bears may consider it. But I don’t think they’ll pull the trigger. They may get more value keeping Dalton on the roster, with Fields, even after Fields takes over this season at some point.
I would say so, yes. Vildor is the CB2 at this point.
FWIW, Artie Burns and Tre Roberson have looked decent as well.
At nickel, I'd probably lean towards Duke Shelley at this point.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) August 19, 2021
Based on what I'm sensing:
Robinson
Mooney
Goodwin
Byrd
Newsome
Adams or Johnson (leaning Adams)Ridley and Wims have been given every opportunity to earn a spot, and are just not grabbing it.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) August 17, 2021
He's been fine — he's started getting active with some INTs recently, but keep in mind the Bears still aren't scheming much.
I expect Jackson to be more unlocked when they start scheming more.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) August 19, 2021
Really depends on how quickly he proves himself to be ready, but I've marked the game against Baltimore as the sweet spot.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) August 19, 2021
He's been a solid QB for a long time. At this point in his career, he's fine — nothing special. I probably wouldn't even call him "good."
But he's immensely better than anything they've had at QB in Matt Nagy's entire tenure. That counts for a lot.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) August 19, 2021
He's still eligible to go on the PUP list I believe, but the Bears just haven't chosen to do so. IR is a bit more restrictive, so I'd imagine the Bears monitor a little while longer before going that route.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) August 17, 2021
NOTE — This was answered before news of Jenkins’ surgery broke. He’ll obviously be going on Injured Reserve at this stage.
I'd watch out for Ifedi and Daniels as well.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) August 17, 2021
Jenkins is not a first-round pick, but it's a good observation — include Gabe Carimi in there.
I think you see this a good bit around the league, but the Bears are magnified with their history of just not drafting well.
Projecting injury/health with draft picks is very tough.
— Dhruv Koul (@DhruvKoul) August 19, 2021
