Bears General Manager Ryan Pace is standing by the team’s decision not to start rookie quarterback Justin Fields.
Pace said today that the Bears are confident in their plan to make Andy Dalton the starting quarterback and have Fields learn from the sideline.
“There’s no need to rush Justin,” Pace said.
But there is one major reason that Pace and head coach Matt Nagy could change their minds: If the Bears aren’t winning games with Dalton at quarterback, Pace and Nagy will be on the hot seat. At that point, the one and only way for Pace and Nagy to save their jobs is to show Bears ownership that Fields is developing into a franchise quarterback. And Fields can’t show that unless he’s playing.
So while Pace and Nagy may not want to rush Fields right now, it’s easy to envision a scenario in which Dalton falters early in the season, and Pace and Nagy decide they’re in a rush to find out if Fields can save their season, and their jobs.
