Bears' Justin Fields: Labeled No. 2 QB to open 2021

Bears head coach Matt Nagy reiterated during a recent appearance on "The Cris Collinsworth Podcast" that Fields will open the regular season as the Bears' No. 2 quarterback behind Andy Dalton, Jelani Scott of NFL.com reports. "Andy is our starter," Nagy told Collinsworth. "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."

After the Bears selected Fields with the 11th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, many speculated that the rookie would get the chance to open the season as the team's starting signal-caller. Based on Nagy's comments, Fields doesn't sound like he'll even get the chance to compete for the No. 1 role, assuming Dalton remains healthy throughout training camp and the preseason. Dalton's underwhelming track record as a starter in Cincinnati and Dallas in recent seasons along with the fact that he's playing on an expiring contract means he's unlikely to sit atop the depth chart all season, but Fields may have to wait for Dalton to falter before getting an opportunity.