Matt Nagy says Justin Fields will start at QB in Bears preseason finale vs. Titans

The 11th overall pick will make his first NFL start

Justin Fields will start in the Bears' final preseason game against the Titans on Saturday, coach Matt Nagy told reporters on Tuesday morning. Nagy said his rookie quarterback -- who played behind Andy Dalton in Chicago's first two preseason games -- will get two quarters of work. 

The 11th overall pick in the draft, Fields went 14 of 20 for 142 yards with one touchdown pass in his first preseason game, a 20-13 win over the Dolphins. He also rushed for a score while gaining 33 yards on five carries. Fields played behind Dalton in Chicago's second preseason game, a 44-15 loss to the Bills. Fields went 9 of 19 passes for 80 yards against the Bills while rushing for 46 yards on four carries. Dalton, whom Nagy has tabbed as the Bears' Week 1 starter against the Rams, was 11 of 17 for 146 yards with a touchdown and an interception. With Dalton on the field, Bears fans began chanting Fields' name. 

"Yeah, I noticed it," Fields said of the fans, via Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic. "Of course the fans are awesome. They also have to realize Andy's a human being, too. Andy's on the field right now, so I really think it's kind of disrespectful to Andy, them cheering my name out like that. They have to trust in Coach to make sure he's making the right decisions. Just cheer him on, you know? That's not helping Andy play better, to cheer my name. My advice to them would be, just cheer whoever is on the field."

Regardless of what transpires on Saturday, it appears that Fields will start his rookie season as the Bears' primary backup. Dalton, who started the 2020 season as a backup before replacing then-injured quarterback Dak Prescott, will lead the Bears' offense on the field when they face Aaron Donald, Jalen Ramsey and the rest of the Rams' defense on September 12. 

"The stock for us in Andy is going to see what he does for us during the season," Nagy recently said of his quarterback situation. "We have to see what can Andy do during the season with this team and with these guys. That has been our plan this whole entire time.

"At the same point in time, we also need to evaluate and see where Justin is at and what he can do, and again he's doing everything that we are asking him to do. He's doing great. So I think it's a good situation for us, and I understand, I truly understand the - I don't know what the word is - for people to want to see more of Justin. I get that."

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