The Windy City seems to have found their new savior in Justin Fields. However, if Chicagoans want to have some real hope for the present and the future, they need to keep their rookie QB on the bench until week 4 at a minimum.
No need to waste any time dancing around the issue: Fields should keep his rear riding the pine simply because of the defensive lines he'd be facing in weeks 1 and 3. Actually, not even the defensive lines, just two individuals in particular: Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett.
Those two are nightmare-inducing monsters for anyone, let alone rookie QBs playing their very first NFL games (don't try and tell me the preseason is real, you know better than that). Not to mention the Bears have a below-average offensive line, which doesn't give me confidence they could protect Fields as he gets a feel for the game. Do Bears fans really want to see him running for his life? Would he be able to make any real progression in his game? The easy, and correct, answer is a hard no.
Look at what happened in New York with Sam Darnold, who spent his time there running cross-country meets just to stay out of the hospital. After you're done looking at that, refer yourself to Andrew Luck, whose career got cut short because he couldn't take the pounding he was receiving year after year due to a porous offensive line. I know Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace want to save their jobs, but you don't save it by getting the presumptive future of your franchise murdered over the span of three weeks.
So Chicago, I say this with the heart of someone who understand QB instability over extended period of time. Let Andy Dalton start the first few weeks. He's not great, but neither is the rest of your offensive roster. The team isn't making the super bowl this year, let alone sniffing the NFC championship game. Don't sacrifice what could be several years of upper level QB play because you're impatient. Yes, Justin Fields is a clear upgrade over Dalton, but he needs time to get in and get settled. Training camp and preseason games aren't enough when you have two guys looking to eat him for breakfast right off the jump.
Do yourselves a favor, push Nagy and the Bears to keep Fields on the bench until week 4 when the team faces the Lions; I couldn't think of a better team to start a rookie with limited talent around him. This is the path to quarterback salvation Chicago, I know it, and I know you know it too.
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