Chicago Bears make odd, early decision with Justin Fields

The Chicago Bears are still more than a month away from training camp. Yet head coach Matt Nagy already decided on his starting quarterback.

Who needs training camp? Apparently, not Matt Nagy.

The Chicago Bears head coach went on The Cris Collinsworth Podcast on Tuesday to discuss a litany of topics including his team’s situation at quarterback. Of course, it looks radically different than a year ago, when the battle was between Mitchell Trubisky and veteran Nick Foles.

This summer, the depth chart has free-agent signing Andy Dalton and rookie first-round pick Justin Fields, whom the team tried up for on April 29.

On the podcast, Nagy told Collinsworth that while nothing can be 100 percent decided yet, Dalton is his clear starter, per NFL.com:

“No. Andy is our starter. Again, I can’t predict anything. You know how it goes. There’s so many things that can happen between today and that Week 1, but Andy is our starter and Justin’s our No. 2. And we’re going to stick to this plan.”

Last year, Dalton spent the season with the Dallas Cowboys and ended up a starter after Dak Prescott was lost for the season with a broken ankle. In 11 games (nine starts), Dalton went 4-5 with 2,170 passing yards, 14 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Ultimately, he was exactly as advertised upon arrival in Dallas: a quality backup.

Now, for reasons unclear, he’s been anointed as the starter — or at least the heavy favorite — over Fields by the head coach before a single day at training camp.

Nagy isn’t the first coach to go this route, giving the veteran an early vote of confidence, but it makes little sense. Why not say it’s an open competition and allow both guys to play some with the starters in both practice and preseason games before making a decision in late August?

While Nagy can certainly change course, it could create a tough situation. If Fields starts immediately, Dalton will feel jilted and if Fields falters, now you have two quarterbacks without much confidence. However, if Dalton starts over Fields when the latter looks ready to play, there could be mumbling and grumbling both in the locker room and certainly on the airwaves.

The Bears made the right decision in drafting Fields. Unfortunately, they’ve made the wrong one in predetermining what his fate will be early on.

Let Dalton and Fields battle it out, and let the best man win.