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Bears rookie quarterback Justin Fields has been impressive throughout the first couple of weeks of training camp, where he’s had at least one “wow” moment during every practice. But Thursday’s joint practice against the Dolphins felt different.
Both Fields and Dalton have been solid throughout camp. But for the first time this summer, Fields was head and shoulders above Dalton.
“Consider Thursday’s practice to be the first time Fields has looked considerably better than Andy Dalton, who didn’t appear as comfortable in the two practices against Miami as he has against his own defense,” wrote NBC Sports Chicago’s Adam Hoge. “Dalton is still having a strong camp overall, but Thursday would best be described as choppy.”
If Fields is going to change the plan Matt Nagy has in place for him to sit behind Dalton, Fields is going to need to stack several impressive performances that would make it hard on the Bears not to start him.
Fields will have plenty of opportunities to do just that, starting with Saturday’s preseason opener against the Dolphins. For all of the impressive throws and plays Fields has shown in practice, it’s those live-game reps that will serve as a valuable evaluation tool for the Bears.
“The only way we can evaluate is by seeing him play. He’s gotta get valuable reps,” Nagy said. “As we go through these three games, being able to just see what he can do with different players and different teammates, it could be first, second or third team across the board.”
While nothing has changed in regards to the quarterback depth chart with one breakout practice, Fields took an important step toward winning the starting job.
There will come a point where the Bears can’t hold Fields back — even if they don’t want to rush him — if he’s the best option. Because it’s not just the media and fans who are seeing Fields’ star power, his teammates see it, too.
