The Chicago Bears will open their 2021 preseason schedule on Saturday against the Miami Dolphins in the first game with fans in attendance since December 22nd, 2019. The main story for the game will be the NFL debut of 2021 first-round quarterback Justin Fields. Head coach Matt Nagy plans on playing Fields extensively on Saturday, which is something he didn’t do with his former quarterback Mitchell Trubisky.

Chicago Bears HC Matt Nagy said on @mullyhaugh that QB Justin Fields is going to get a lot of reps in Saturday’s preseason game.

Nagy: “This is his time to show what he can do. We are all excited.”

— Daniel Greenberg (@ChiSportUpdates) August 11, 2021

Nagy’s Unwillingness To Play Trubisky During The Preseason Hurt The Quarterback’s Growth

When general manager Ryan Pace hired Nagy in January of 2018, the head coach was expected to assist with mentoring Trubisky, who was the second overall selection in the 2017 NFL Draft. Chicago’s head coach came from Kansas City, where he had served as the Chiefs’ quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator. During Nagy’s time in Kansas City, He assisted quarterback Alex Smith in being named to two consecutive Pro Bowls and worked with quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Although Nagy’s run-pass option is highly complicated, one of the more notable decisions the Bears’ coach made in his first season was not playing Trubisky enough during the preseason. In 2018, The Bears had five preseason games, including the Hall of Fame Game against the Baltimore Ravens. In Chicago’s five preseason games, Trubisky only appeared in two games as he played one series against the Cincinnati Bengals and a half against the Denver Broncos.

Nagy controversially sat his starters in the Bears’ fourth preseason game in 2018 as it was the “dress rehearsal game” where starters play into the second half. Many analysts believed that Trubisky needed the live game reps to get more familiar with Chicago’s new offense. Although the Bears’ second-year quarterback led the offense to scoring drives on the opening drives of their first four games, the offense struggled to put consistent offensive drives together.

Matt Nagy and the Bears rested Mitchell Trubisky and starters for the “dress rehearsal” preseason game. The Packers sidelined Aaron Rodgers, the Rams rested Jared Goff and Todd Gurley and the Cowboys let Dak Prescott and Zeke Elliott sit. We’re looking at a new trend here.

— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) August 27, 2018

Despite early-season struggles in 2018, Trubisky helped lead the Bears offense to a winning season as the team won 12 games and the NFC North Division. In 2019, the offense was supposed to make a significant jump having another year under Nagy’s system. Chicago’s head coach decided to sit Trubisky for almost all of their 2019 preseason games, as the quarterback appeared in only one series and did not attempt a single throw. The Bears’ young quarterback struggled with deep ball accuracy and reading defenses in 2019 as he heavily regressed in the offense.

What was also evident: you can’t just cancel preseason games when you are either learning a new offense or a QB like Mitchell Trubisky.

The teams that can get by without it are the exception, not the rule.

It’s also important for coaches, decision making and clock management. pic.twitter.com/Q3SKi1F3Hc

— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) September 6, 2019

Due to COVID-19, there were no preseason games in 2020, which further limited Trubisky’s ability to get live game reps to grow accustomed to Nagy’s offense. This lead to his benching the second half of the Bears’ week three game against the Falcons. Trubisky was constantly needing as many live reps as possible to understand Chicago’s RPO offense, along with having the confidence to execute the offense.

Nagy Isn’t Making The Same Mistake With Justin Fields

Although Andy Dalton will be the Bears’ starting quarterback and play a series, a majority of Saturday’s game will feature Fields. The rookie quarterback will most likely see either two or potentially three-quarters of action to the delight of Bears’ fans in attendance. The live game reps will be invaluable for Fields as he will learn and practice Chicago’s offense against an opposing defense. The Ohio State quarterback will have game film to dissect what reads he missed and what mistakes may have made, which will go a long way in his growth at the position.

On with @mullyhaugh, Matt Nagy said the Bears plan to give Justin Fields a heavy workload in the preseason.

Said Nagy: "We know (Andy Dalton) can play in an NFL game. We got to be able to evaluate Justin and see where he's at. This is the time to do it."

— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) August 11, 2021

Nagy limited Trubisky’s play during the preseason due to his fear of putting his quarterback at risk of injury and exposing the inability of not knowing the offense. This decision led to a very inconsistent offense in both 2018 and 2019. With Fields, the rookie quarterback will have the opportunity to be successful when he debuts in the regular season because he will have those valuable preseason reps.

Those preseason reps are so vital because Fields will be allowed to make mistakes, but more importantly, allow Nagy to design the Bears’ offense around his success. If Dalton is knocked out with an injury early in the season, Chicago’s offense can be fitted around the rookie quarterback and the plays he had success with during the preseason. In Trubisky’s rookie season, he was successful with boot-leg-designed passing play. When the North Carolina quarterback became the starter in week five of 2017, offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains allowed the rookie quarterback to have success as those boot-leg plays were incorporated into the offense.

ICYMI: No. 2 overall pick Mitchell Trubisky had a strong NFL preseason debut, completing his first 10 passes of the game. pic.twitter.com/zOWPWz6X0g

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 11, 2017

Fields will see a majority of offensive snaps in the Bears’ three preseason games over the next two weeks. Playing against the Dolphins, Bills, and Titans will provide so much game film and live rep experience for Chicago’s rookie, which could make a significant difference in how he performs once he debuts in the regular season. One of Nagy’s biggest mistakes as head coach was not giving enough preseason reps to Trubisky over two seasons, something he won’t be making with Fields.