One Overlooked Reason The Bears Might Be Holding Justin Fields Out

We’ve already covered how odd the situation regarding Justin Fields is. I wrote about whispers of division inside Halas Hall about whether the quarterback should play. Those include a belief Ryan Poles wants to delay his return because he’s ready to move on. Then Adam Hoge of CHGO revealed that some in the building were surprised Fields didn’t return against New Orleans, never mind Carolina. That speaks to a disconnect in the organization about the goal for Fields. There is no cohesive plan, or at least it seems that way.

There is one other possibility that hasn’t been considered. It feels like the Bears might be trying to give Tyson Bagent one more chance to seize the starting job. Some people will scoff at that. They shouldn’t. The undrafted rookie has shown flashes of above-average play since taking over as the starter three weeks ago. He’s completing 67% of his passes, averaging over 200 yards passing and 31 rushing over that span. For three quarters last Sunday in New Orleans, he looked really good. Unfortunately, a turnover-filled 4th ruined it.

There is evidence this young man can play. Now he’s about to face a Carolina Panthers defense that is 31st in points allowed and will be playing without star pass rusher Brian Burns. If Bagent can put together a complete performance, it might give the Bears the excuse to let him keep playing.

Nothing about the Justin Fields situation makes sense.

A month ago, everybody made it sound like the quarterback could return in a few weeks. When he missed the New Orleans game, that was confirmation he’d get back for the home stand against Carolina. Ignoring this one also leads to two possible conclusions. Either the thumb injury is far worse than reported, or some people with heavy sway in the organization would prefer he stay on the sideline for the time being. Based on what Hoge said, it doesn’t sound like the thumb is a huge issue. Fields has been throwing at practice for the past three days with few signs of notable discomfort.

Something is going on. Perhaps the flashes Bagent has shown were enough to encourage giving him more playing time. Nobody is saying he’s the second coming of Kurt Warner, but it’s at least apparent the kid isn’t your typical undrafted quarterback. He has abilities that can work in the NFL, at least as a backup. Maybe more experience could help him overcome his turnover issues from the past two weeks. It’s not like the Bears are in the thick of a playoff chase at 2-7. This might be the perfect time to experiment, even if it costs Justin Fields playing time.