Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Bears hope they have their franchise quarterback in Justin Fields, but it’s pretty clear they’re not going to rush him onto the field.

In an appearance on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd,” Bears coach Matt Nagy made clear that the team does not intend to rush Fields into the starting job for fear of essentially ruining him.

“The worst thing we can do is put him in when he’s not ready and ruin him, which ruins the Bears,” Nagy said, via Jenna Ciccotelli of Bleacher Report. “So we want to make sure that we do this so that he has a very successful entry into this league. He plays with confidence. He’s a winner, which he’s always been. And then, ultimately, in the end, he’s the best thing for the Chicago Bears, plain and simple.”

The Bears signed Andy Dalton to start in 2021, and it appears that remains the plan for now. In fact, it certainly sounds like Fields may not even get a look during his rookie season.

The Bears’ approach makes sense, as they’ll want to be sure that Fields is ready before throwing him out there. That said, if Dalton fails to perform to expectations, it’s going to be very tough to keep Fields on the bench.

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