Three of the five quarterbacks selected in the 2021 NFL Draft's first round are currently starting: Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, and Mac Jones, New England (15). Because they were more successful at winning football games than any other quarterback their teams had, all three were selected to be the starting QBs. Although this has nothing to do with Cam Newton's release or Gardner Minshew's trade, it shines a spotlight on Matt Nagy and Chicago Bears.
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Andy Dalton remains the Windy City's starter, despite Justin Fields (11) being a more dynamic signal-caller during the preseason. Why is this? Playing Justin Fields for the Bears during the first few weeks would at least give them an idea of whether Fields can lead the Bears into the playoffs. The Bears don't gain this understanding by playing Andy Dalton.
There is a reason that Dalton should be started by the Bears, according to some arguments. Fans are sick of Justin Fields being blown up behind line.
Fields should not be out against Aaron Donald and his LA Rams defense in Week 1. Not to mention the fact that the Bears were 2-2 in the first four weeks of @LAR, @CLE and @CLE. They could go 1-3 at worst, according to most. Give Fields a few more weeks to learn the system and it will help your franchise's future. It won't matter if they start Fields, but it would make a big difference record-wise.
But I cannot shake the feeling in my head that there is more to this than meets your eye. Matt Nagy will be in the hot seat for 2021. He was not a bad coach, but I didn't think so. Based on what I had seen, I believed he still had great assets for the Bears. He hasn't used certain of his players to their full potential and he should be held responsible. Nagy will still be in the hot seat and will do everything to protect his job. Even if he pulls out all the stops and the Bears don't perform to the expectations of the front office and fans, Nagy will be gone faster than a flat-earther in a science museum.
Andy Dalton is the answer. Andy Dalton is Matt Nagy's ace in the hole. The Bears don't have anything to lose by starting Dalton in Weeks 1 through 4, but fans and NFL viewers can see if the Bears offense is up to par in those weeks. Nagy can say Woah if they perform poorly (which is likely with Dalton at center). Woah. Woah. You can't blame me. We weren't even playing with our top quarterback. Let me have a chance to prove my worth with a full-strength team.
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You might be thinking, "Yes, but the team does not perform well with Fields." This is true, but it also buys Nagy some time. Nagy can get a few more weeks from Dalton starting in the first few games. This gives Nagy the chance to fix his mistakes and could give Nagy enough time to turn things around midseason to win back the trust of the fans and the front office. It doesn't have to do with money. While NFL coaches lose all their salaries when they are fired, they keep their jobs to make more money. Nagy has a lot to gain from this.
Nagy promised Dalton that he would be the starter when Dalton signed up with the team. Nagy made a promise and he doesn't intend to break it. But if Nagy truly believed Fields could help the Bears win (like most people), he wouldn't be so quick to make that promise. Dalton is a professional. He is a veteran of the NFL. He understands that the NFL can be a business. He is well aware of the sad realities. There is no reason to believe he will leave Chicago with a legacy. He would also be able to lose weight by being the backup. Dalton may want to prove that he can still play in the NFL. However, by being removed from the backup role, the pressure of success is lifted off his shoulders and he keeps the $10 million he signed in March. According to BoardRoom, that's more than twice the salary of an average backup in the NFL. Nagy believes that Dalton would be shocked to learn that he could earn eight figures for a place on a bench. Now, get on it.
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All that logic is thrown out of the window when external motives are in play, as I have been suggesting. Nagy does not have any reason to sit Fields this week, strictly from a winning football perspective. We haven't seen him in any NFL games that matter, and maybe he won't look as good against defenses that disguise their coverages. But we wont know until he plays in those games.
Nagy should play Fields if he believes that Fields has a better chance of winning against Los Angeles or Cleveland than Andy Dalton. If he doesn't, I don't know what more he should see Fields do. Maybe Nagys experience in Kansas City as an offensive coordinator is a factor in this decision. After a year of Alex Smith's coaching, he watched Patrick Mahomes become the quarterback he is today. It seems foolish to try and duplicate Patrick Mahomes. The Bears are aiming for the playoffs this season. Matt Nagy knows that Dalton isn't someone who can achieve those goals.
