National Football League

For Justin Fields and the Chicago Bears, it's a question of timing

Updated Sep. 16, 2021 11:39 a.m. ET

Week 1 for the Chicago Bears ended in disappointment, with a 34-14 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

With disappointing losses comes an eagerness to try to correct the issues that led to that disappointment.

In the case of the Bears, some believe that a change at the quarterback position could help turn things around after just one regular-season game.

The Bears, though, have maintained that veteran Andy Dalton is their starting quarterback since the moment they signed him this offseason, and they've stood firm in that stance even after drafting rookie Justin Fields in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

But after Dalton's disappointing regular-season debut, Nick Wright believes now is the perfect time for a quarterback swap in Chicago. He explained why on "The Herd."

"Maybe when he had the worst passer rating in the league other than [Aaron] Rodgers," Wright said. "Started the season off with a pick in the end zone, that was a sign. Go to Justin Fields. If you're a Bears fan, I don't know how much longer you can go with watching Andy Dalton."

Nick Wright: Chicago Bears should 1000% start Justin Fields over Andy Dalton I THE HERD

Nick Wright joins Colin Cowherd to discuss why the Chicago Bears should start Justin Fields over Andy Dalton.

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On Sunday, Dalton completed 27 of 38 pass attempts for 206 yards and an interception, posting a 72.9 passer rating. He also lost a fumble.

Fields saw limited action — mainly in red zone packages — and completed both of his pass attempts for 10 yards. He also scored on a 3-yard run.

Although Fields had a light workload in Week 1, Colin Cowherd believes now is the perfect time for the rookie to see the field and gain confidence because the Bears' schedule is manageable in the upcoming weeks.

"Four teams, one elite pass-rusher, Myles Garrett," Cowherd said. "This is when you give Justin Fields a little confidence. You get him out there. You let him play against very average pass-rushers. You make him feel good about himself."

Colin Cowherd: 'It's time for Bears to get Justin Fields out there' I THE HERD

Although Colin Cowherd was on the "start Andy Dalton" train for the beginning of the season, hear why he thinks it might be time for the Chicago Bears to get Justin Fields out there.

Over the next four weeks, the Bears play the Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Las Vegas Raiders and Green Bay Packers.

Of those teams, only Browns defensive end Garrett and Packers defensive end Za'Darius Smith finished in the top 10 in sacks last season.

After that stretch of games, things get more difficult, with the Bears facing the San Francisco 49ers, Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens, all of which feature elite defenses and pass-rushers.

Retired NFL tight end Greg Olsen believes that now might be a good time to hand the starting job to Fields. But he also thinks that whomever the franchise chooses, it needs to make a firm commitment to that player.

"I think they need to commit one way or the other," Olsen said on "The Herd." "If they are going to play him [Fields], they have to play him now. You don't want to throw a young quarterback to the wolves. Let's let him play against Detroit [Lions] and some of these pass-rushers where he can settle in."

The Bears figure to hand the starting QB reins to Fields at some point. The question remains when. For now, Bears fans will just have to wait to find out.

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