Fire Matt Nagy Now If He Plans to Start Andy Dalton in Week 1

Andy Dalton signed a one-year deal with the Chicago Bears worth up to $13 million during the offseason. His time as Chicago's QB1 seemed to be brief as the Bears then traded up to the 11th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft to pick Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields. Bears fans were thrilled, but Matt Nagy just tossed a big bucket of cold water on them by saying Dalton is still the starter.

If this is true, Nagy and GM Ryan Pace should pack their bags right now. If Fields can't be ready for Week 1, that's a bad sign. If you draft a quarterback that early, he better be ready to start Week 1. If he's not, that means you made a mistake. Best-case scenario, you did draft the right guy and you put your team at a disadvantage by playing a lesser player.

Dalton is a veteran free agent on a one-year deal. This isn't an Aaron Rodgers situation. It sucks for Dalton, but that's where the $10 million comes in. There is zero reason to say Dalton is the starter if this is an open competition. Will Fields or Dalton be somehow less motivated if you say you're going to wait and see who earns the job?

The only thing this quote should do is frustrate the fans. Remember how excited they were after the draft? Well, forget about that. Remember the guy we signed and got roasted for calling QB1? That's our guy for now.

Good luck with that.