Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy said Wednesday that rookie quarterback Justin Fields will be the team’s starter moving forward. Fields, the No. 11 pick last year’s NFL draft, opened the season as the team’s backup but had started each of Chicago’s past two games with Andy Dalton out with an injury.
Nagy had previously said Dalton would remain as the team’s starter when he recovered from his knee injury, but Wednesday’s announcement is a reversal of that line of thinking. Nagy said that Dalton was expected to be a full participant in practice. Nagy said of Fields on Wednesday: “He’s done everything to show us that he’s ready for this opportunity.” While Fields struggled in his first career start in Week 3 against the Browns, he performed much better in Week 4, completing 11 of his 17 attempts for 209 yards in a 24—14 win over the Lions.
Fields and the Bears face off against the Raiders this Sunday in Las Vegas. Kickoff is set for 4:05 p.m. ET.
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