It’s a double-whammy Wednesday for the Chicago Bears.
Because on the same morning the team announced offensive tackle Teven Jenkins was undergoing back surgery, Head Coach Matt Nagy said the team was going to take it easy when it came to an injured Justin Fields:
#Bears are going to be conservative with Justin Fields in practice today as he has a sore groin. Matt Nagy said they are being smart and doesn’t seem overly concerned.
— Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) August 18, 2021
The Bears are playing it conservatively with Fields, who the team took with the 11th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft with hopes of ending the revolving door of disappointing quarterback play. Chicago is also taking the same track when it comes to tight end Cole Kmet, who is dealing with a hamstring issue. But the obvious focus will be on Fields, who has been the must-see attraction at Bears training camp and in the team’s first preseason game.
Nagy did tell reporters during his press conference that the goal this week is to get Fields ready to play on Saturday against the Bills. So maybe taking a conservative route on Wednesday suggests that the groin issue isn’t all that bad. Or perhaps that this is all for the sake of operating with an abundance of caution. No matter how one slices it, the facts remain that Fields won’t practice today because of an injury. And that’s enough to worry me to bits. At least until Fields gets a clean bill of health and steps back onto the practice turf.