The Chicago Bears find themselves in a bit of a pickle when it comes to the quarterback position, a situation that is not new for the franchise.
Long have the Bears been in search of a franchise quarterback who can hold down the spot for years and become the face of the team. Things have been so rough that fans have almost come to miss the “dependability” of Jay Cutler. Almost.
The Bears drafted Justin Fields as their next quarterback of the future but they also signed Andy Dalton during the offseason to be the quarterback of right now. And that’s how things have gone so far in the 2021 NFL season. Dalton started both of the team’s first two games.
However, Dalton went down with an injury against his former team, the Cincinnati Bengals, this weekend. That brought Fields into the game to see if he could spark some magic and make Bears fans see what’s in store for them in the future. Instead, Fields passed for 60 yards, rushed for 31 more, and threw an interception. It was a very rookie performance from the rookie, which is understandable. However, the fact that the Bears won the game, 20-17, had some folks feeling inspired about Fields’ chances to take hold of the QB1 mantle.
More on #Bears QB Andy Dalton: The initial exams did show no ACL tear and no damage to the MCL, source said. MRI today, but the early diagnosis of bone bruise would show he dodged major injury. That would be good news considering what it looked like at first glance.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 20, 2021
Obviously, head coach Matt Nagy was asked about it after the game. His response, however, was extremely strange and somewhat cryptic. When asked if Dalton was still the Bears’ starting quarterback, Nagy responded with “that’s something that I’m not going to get into with scheme.” And when pushed back on, Nagy refused to back down on being obtuse.
Reporter: “Is Andy [Dalton] still your starter if healthy?"
Matt Nagy: “That’s something that I’m not going to get into with scheme.”
Reporter: “That’s not scheme.”
Nagy: “Yes it is."
— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) September 20, 2021
That’s, uh….not scheme, Matt. But sure, whatever works for you. Nagy was probably just looking for a way to not answer the question that wasn’t just him saying “I’m not telling you.”
However, a non-answer like that is only going to make people ask the question even more. So on Monday, the Bears released a statement confirming that, when he is healthy, Andy Dalton is still the starting quarterback in Chicago. Of course, that leaves the door open for Fields to start so long as Dalton is hurt and unable to play.
#Bears PR just came into the media room to deliver a message from Matt Nagy:
Andy Dalton is the team's starting quarterback when he is healthy.
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) September 20, 2021
We know that Dalton’s injury is not ACL-related, but we don’t know yet if he’ll miss time and how much. We can assume that Fields is going to be getting first-team reps at least for a while now, potentially starting on Sunday when the Bears visit Cleveland to take on the Browns. Chicago fans will be waiting on every update from Nagy, enigmatic or not, until then.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.