Justin Fields played through an ankle injury on Monday Night Football. And while the initial belief was they Fields would be ready to play on Sunday against the Seahawks, that won’t be the case:
Coach Nagy announced that Nick Foles will start at QB in Seattle.
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) December 24, 2021
Bears Head Coach Matt Nagy told reporters Nick Foles will start on Sunday against the Seahawks. As for Fields, his role is still to be determined. The ankle injury keeping Fields out of the starting lineup might be serious enough to make him inactive. If that’s the case, then Andy Dalton — fresh off his stint on the COVID IR — will be his backup. Which … I guess makes sense in terms of starting a player who has been healthier and taking more recent reps. Initially, it was sensible to think that Dalton would serve in a backup role after practicing in full on Thursday. But a DNP on Friday puts him out of action this weekend in Seattle. So, if Fields isn’t healthy enough to suit up, then recent practice squad addition Ryan Willis will be available as QB2 . Even then, it’s an unsettling situation.
Nothing against Foles. But at this point of the year, Justin Fields’ development is *THE THING* we care about most. And if Fields isn’t on the field, then Chicago’s football team is far less interesting. Surely, Foles understands where we are coming from this afternoon.
Foles will become the third quarterback to start for the Bears this season. He started seven games for the team last season, but the team was 2-5 in those games. Injury and ineffectiveness ultimately led to Foles’ benching in favor of Mitchell Trubisky. And the overall underwhelming performances by Chicago’s QBs last year eventually led the team to sign Andy Dalton and move up in the draft for Fields. Now, it comes full circle with Foles back under center.
As for the rest of the injury report:
#Bears Friday injury report: pic.twitter.com/NKSy42dKaG
— Chicago Bears (@BearsPR) December 24, 2021
Sigh. Hopefully, it’s a short-term thing and Fields can be back for Week 17 against the Giants. We’ll keep an eye on the situation for other developments.