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The preseason will provide plenty of opportunities for rookie quarterback Justin Fields to gain valuable game experience, and Fields should see a good chunk of reps during Saturday’s game against the Dolphins.
Those reps will help the Bears gauge how Fields is progressing, and there’s no better way to learn than on the job. But obviously there’s an injury risk with Chicago’s injury-battered offensive line.
“The only way we can evaluate is by seeing him play,” said Nagy, adding that he’ll likely scheme for extra protection. “He’s gotta get valuable reps.
“We gotta be able to evaluate — that’s the beauty of the preseason — but we also need these guys for Week 1. It’s that Catch-22. You play somebody and all of a sudden they get hurt and go, ‘You dummy. Why’d you do that?’ The other [side] is you don’t play them and [people] say they need the reps.”
While the starters will only see action for the first two series, Fields will get significantly more reps than that. But it’s ultimately the offensive line that will have an impact on how many reps Fields gets, as keeping him healthy is key. This could ultimately be a big Nick Foles game.
