No ACL tear for Andy Dalton — but the severity of the knee injury for the Chicago Bears QB is unknown. So preparation continues for rookie Justin Fields.
The Chicago Bears are awaiting a more detailed report on the left knee injury that starting quarterback Andy Dalton suffered in the first half of Sunday’s Week 2 win against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Coach Matt Nagy said Monday morning Dalton did not tear his anterior cruciate ligament. But beyond that, Nagy was without specifics on what Dalton’s injury is and how severe it may be.
Still, with an educated guess that Dalton faces an uphill climb to be healthy enough to start in the near future, the Bears will continue on the path they started down Sunday with rookie Justin Fields leading their offense.
That preparation process — whether it’s a contingency plan or an opening to make their quarterback of the future the quarterback of the present — is underway as the Bears look ahead to Sunday’s road game against the Cleveland Browns.
“We’ll have to be prepared when we find out exactly what is going on with Andy,” Nagy said. “(It’s) understanding, OK, is he able to go? Is he not able to go? We’ll work through all of that stuff. Because, for us, you have a guy who has been in the league playing quarterback for a long time and you’ve got a guy who has never had an NFL start. So we’ll have to work through that.”
Nagy was asked directly whether Dalton would remain the starter if he’s healthy, and he declined to answer.
“That’s something that I’m not going to get into with scheme,” Nagy said.
Not long after Nagy’s 20-minute news conference ended, however, a Bears media relations official told reporters at Halas Hall that Nagy hadn’t understood the original question about Dalton’s status and meant to say the veteran QB absolutely will remain the starter if healthy.
Dalton’s injury occurred during a second-quarter scramble. He fought to get back on the field for four more snaps before coming out for the remainder of the game. An NFL Network report Monday said Dalton suffered a bone bruise in his left knee. That diagnosis, however, has not been confirmed.
Fields, meanwhile, was inconsistent during his first extended regular-season action. He oversaw seven full possessions and led the Bears to only six points in their 20-17 victory. The Bears defense contributed four takeaways and a touchdown to the win. And the offense’s struggles to convert the second-half takeaway surge into a greater scoring output is worthy of concern.
Fields finished the afternoon 6-for-13 passing for 60 yards with a costly fourth-quarter interception. He was sacked twice and fumbled once but also contributed 35 rushing yards on seven attempts, excluding three kneel-downs to end the game.
Nagy was asked Monday how much he would have to tweak the offense if Fields starts.
“We’ll work through that,” he said. “If it is Justin and we go that route, we’ll work through it as a staff. I feel good about that. If it’s the same stuff, different stuff, less, more, that’s the stuff we’ll have to work through.”
When will Justin Fields start? Tracking the rookie QB’s progress during the 2021 season.
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