Justin Fields addresses being named starting quarterback in week 3

The Chicago Bears are handing the keys to the franchise over to their rookie quarterback Justin Fields at least for now. The call was made by head coach Matt Nagy after it was determined that Andy Dalton would be unable to play in their upcoming game.

After being taken 11th overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, Fields came into a Bears system that had recently signed a veteran quarterback in Dalton. Head coach Matt Nagy eventually named Dalton the starter and has shut down any debate on the topic, simply stating that Fields’ time will come.

Fields is ready

That time is now as Fields will make his first NFL start this Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. When asked about his preparation for the game this is what the Georgia native had to say.

“I think I’m ready. I’ve been preparing for this moment a long time. My mindset doesn’t change,” Fields said. “I’m still going to play football and prepare the best I can. Study, study, study and get more comfortable and more confident with the plays.”

Preparation will be huge for fields and the Bears this week. They are set to go up against one of the NFL’s most dangerous defensive fronts in Cleveland. The Browns defensive line features two number one overall picks in Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney. Although they’ve gotten off to a slow start, the Cleveland defense was projected to be a top-end defense with a solid line at the start of the season.

Fields will be the fourth quarterback from the 2021 NFL Draft to start an NFL game this season. He and Houston Texans’ rookie quarterback Davis Mills, a third-round pick out of Stanford, are due to make their first career NFL starts. Fields was the fourth quarterback out of five taken in the first round of this year’s draft.

The Bears going forward

Although Fields has yet to start an NFL game, he scored his first-career NFL touchdown in Week 1 of the regular season, carrying the ball from three yards out for a score. Nagy’s plan, barring an injury of this sort to Dalton, appeared to be easing Fields into the rotation but the football gods had different plans.

As of now, Nagy has every intention of turning the offense back over to Dalton once he is fully recovered. But if Justin Fields can prove that he can lead the Bears offense successfully, the Nagy might find it difficult to pull Fields off the field.

On3″s Sean Labar contributed to this story