Chicago Bears: Matt Nagy mistaken being closed-minded with Justin Fields

By declaring in June the there is no way Justin Fields could become the Chicago Bears’ QB1, head coach Matt Nagy could hurt the rookie’s development.

The Chicago Bears feel they finally found their franchise quarterback in Justin Fields. Fields was one of the highest touted quarterback prospects in this year’s draft. It was amazing that the Bears had the chance to pull the trigger on a trade-up in the first round to snatch him.

Now that they have him, the team, specifically head coach Matt Nagy, has to navigate through the woods and do a good job of developing his young quarterback. You can have the most talented player in the draft, but if you don’t develop him properly he won’t play how you expect.

Nagy has a tough job. Everyone on planet Earth wants to give him advice on what to do with Fields. Does Nagy start him or sit him? Analysts and fans alike have strong opinions on that. Heck, even former Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler gave his opinion, per NFL.com:

"I don’t mind either way how Fields starts the season. If he shows he can start right out of the gate then great. If he needs some more seasoning that’s also fine. What I want, however, is for there to be a true analysis of his ability to take over the offense and when he’s ready to do so."

In a recent interview with former NFL player Chris Collinsworth, Nagy really blew things up. Of course, he was asked the obligatory question about Field. He could have just said that Andy Dalton is the current QB1 and that he’d evaluate things as training camp progressed. That would have been the best thing to say. This being the Chicago Bears and all, things had to get complicated.

This is what he said when asked if there was a scenario in which Fields was the starting quarterback in Week 1, via CBS Sports:

"No. I mean, Andy is our starter, and 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 is our No. 2 and we’re going to stick to this plan. You always hope that nothing happens to Andy as far as injuries or anything like that and that’s why I can’t say 100 percent."

So, barring an injury, there is nothing Fields can do to win the job in Week 1? If Fields plays like a seasoned veteran and takes complete control of the offense he’ll stay on the bench? If he plays well and Dalton struggles, Fields is still regulated to the bench?

Nagy is hurting Justin Fields and the Chicago Bears with his tunnel vision.

This is not how you develop the future of your franchise. You drafted him to be your leader. If he’s ready to do it from Week 1, why make him wait? Is there a certain number of snaps he needs to see from the bench in order to be ready to start?

Yes, Nagy came from the Kansas City Chiefs and was instrumental in what they did with Patrick Mahomes when they drafted him. However, Nagy is in Chicago now. Fields isn’t Mahomes. He is his own man. If he’s ready to go but isn’t benched, how does that help him in any way?

All we could ask of Nagy is to be open-minded. Don’t put him in if he isn’t ready just because he was your big first-round pick. On the other hand, don’t keep him on the bench when he is ready, willing, and able to take the offense to higher lengths.

While Nagy wants to be like the Chiefs, he should look to the Seattle Seahawks as inspiration. In 2012, the Seahawks drafted Russell Wilson and signed Matt Flynn to a big free-agent contract. It was evident to head coach Pete Carroll that Wilson was ready to take over the offense. He had the guts to start the rookie over the veteran despite knowing how big a risk it was.

It paid off as Wilson led the team to a record of 11-5 record. They’ve made a couple of Super Bowl appearances, winning one. Wilson made seven Pro Bowl appearances, including the last four in a row.

Fields isn’t Wilson the same way he isn’t Mahomes. The point is there are two examples of how he could go. Instead of being closed-minded and insisting on one side over the other, despite having evidence of the other, he should be open to either scenario. By being stubborn and sticking to a plan that may not work, he risks losing the rookie’s confidence in him as the head coach. That brings with it a whole new set of problems.