For the second consecutive year, Chicago Bears fans will be subjected to a quarterback controversy in training camp. Except this one is profoundly different than last season. Mitch Trubisky vs. Nick Foles wasn’t exactly something to get hyped up about. More like the team was trying to pick the lesser of two evils. This time around feels considerably different. Andy Dalton is a former three-time Pro Bowler with solid credentials. Justin Fields is the 11th overall pick and freakish physical talent.
Who should be the starter when the Bears head off to Los Angeles for a rematch with the Rams? There are two sides to this debate. Many favor the approach head coach Matt Nagy wants. To sit Fields for the time being, let him learn behind a capable veteran in Dalton. Others believe that is unnecessary. Fields is already battle-tested and proven against the best college programs in the country. There isn’t much sense in sitting him. Let him start now and learn as he goes.
The Bears seem open to either eventuality.
They’re going with Dalton in terms of 1st-team reps when camp begins. However, if Fields makes a strong enough statement by the end of August? They won’t be afraid to switch gears and make him the starter. That led to an interesting question. Has a Bears rookie 1st round QB ever started the first game of his NFL career? Amazingly across 82 years, that has never happened. Here is every 1st round quarterback they’ve drafted and when he ultimately started his first game.
- Sid Luckman – 7th game
- Johnny Lujack – 25th game
- Bobby Layne – 8th game
- Jim McMahon – 3rd game
- Jim Harbaugh – 30th game
- Cade McNown – 6th game
- Rex Grossman – 14th game
- Mitch Trubisky – 5th game
So Fields would be breaking some pretty significant ground if he managed to pull that off. Not only the first African-American quarterback drafted in the 1st round by the Bears. Also, the first to ever start an opening game of his rookie season. That is certainly quite an opening statement, and perhaps would be a sign of things to come.
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Justin Fields has never been shy about breaking boundaries
He is the first athlete from his Georgia high school to crack the NFL. He reached #2 all-time on Ohio State’s career TD passes list despite playing two fewer seasons than the current record holder. This is not a young man who is intimidated by challenges. Fields already believes he can start right away and is determined to spend the next three months proving it. The kid is easy to cheer for on that basis alone.
The truth is there is no set clock on NFL careers.
There have been quarterbacks who started right away who were successful. Peyton Manning is an obvious choice. Then there were those who had to wait a long time to get their shot and were successful. Aaron Rodgers is one such example. Justin Fields will be the Bears’ starter sooner or later. It would just be far more significant from a historical perspective if he made it right away.
