LAKE FOREST – The chance for the Bears’ to see their first round pick start for the first time in the NFL will come in Week 3.
At his news conference on Wednesday at Halas Hall, head coach Matt Nagy announced that rookie quarterback Justin Fields will make his first career start against the Browns on Sunday in Cleveland.
This comes after Nagy said that starting quarterback Andy Dalton remains “week-to-week” as he deals with a knee injury suffered in the first half against the Bengals this past Sunday. While he continues to not specifically say what the injury is, Dalton is reportedly dealing with a bone bruise.
The coach told reporters that he didn’t expect the starter to participate in practice on Wednesday.
Nagy did reiterate once again at his news conference on Wednesday that Dalton still is the Bears’ starter when he is healthy to play again. At the moment, the coach doesn’t anticipate that the starter will go to IR, which would likely mean that he’s out 1-2 weeks. Should the Bears put him on that list, he would have to miss a minimum of three games.
After playing five plays in the Week 1 loss to the Rams, Fields saw snaps in the first half then the entire second half after Dalton was unable to return due to the knee injury. In two games, Fields is 8-of-15 passing for 70 yards with an interception while also rushing for 34 yards on 11 carries with a touchdown in the opener against Los Angeles.
In two starts, Dalton is 36-of-49 passing for 262 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Before the injury on Sunday, the quarterback was enjoying a strong start, going 9-for-11 for 56 yards and his first scoring throw with the Bears to Allen Robinson on the first drive.