3 things we learned from the Chicago Bears, including the bar set high for Andy Dalton and Justin Fields running the scout team
Monday was a busy day at Halas Hall as Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace and his staff worked through roster cuts ahead of Tuesday’s 3 p.m. deadline to set the 53-man roster.
Meanwhile, coach Matt Nagy and his players began preparation for the Sept. 12 opener against the Los Angeles Rams with a light practice.
Here are three things we learned from Nagy and the players.
1. Andy Dalton is eager to see what the full-strength offense can do in a game.
Dalton and many Bears starters sat in the preseason finale, and the veteran quarterback saw limited time in the other two games with the Bears’ biggest playmakers. He also didn’t operate behind the full starting offensive line.
But Dalton said the group has confidence despite not doing much in the preseason, when he completed 13 of 21 passes for 164 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
“When we’re all together and we’re all playing like we know we can play, there’s a lot that we can do,” Dalton said. “I’ve been on teams where the offense didn’t look great early in the preseason, but then we’ve come out hot to start the year. So for us it’s just focusing on what we can control right now and playing like I know we can play.”
Nagy made it clear last week that Dalton’s performance would help dictate how long he keeps the starting job over rookie quarterback Justin Fields, who performed at or above expectations in the preseason.
Dalton, however, repeatedly has said he’s not looking over his shoulder at Fields, and Nagy indicated that is important.
“The bar has always been high for him,” Nagy said. “Andy has to control Andy. Andy can’t control something that is out of his control, which is Justin. … So if Andy controls Andy and we have success on offense and we play well and we’re winning, that’s a good thing. We’d all understand that’s a good thing while this kid (Fields) develops and continues to grow and learn and watch tape.”
Because of the reduction in preseason games, NFL teams have an extra week of practice to prepare for the opener. Dalton said the extra time will be spent studying the Rams. The Bears played the Rams last season, and Dalton also has notes from when the Dallas Cowboys played them last year, though he didn’t appear in that game.
The Rams have a new defensive coordinator after hiring Raheem Morris to replace Brandon Staley, now the Los Angeles Chargers head coach.
“There’s going to be a lot of tape for us to look at,” Dalton said. “I can go back and look at my notes, see the things that we thought about them going into Week 1 last year. We’ll be looking at it all.”
2. Justin Fields will begin running the scout team at practice.
As Dalton prepares to make his first Bears start, Fields will be helping the defense prepare by operating the scout team.
“He’ll be out there trying to do everything he can to give our defense the best look that they can give,” Nagy said. “But within that, there’s a lot of concepts that we see and that we do that he can continue to make plays. Don’t go out here and be a guy that’s just throwing the ball around. You want to grow as a quarterback in that position.”
Fields at some point in the coming weeks or months is likely to assume the starting role from Dalton, so the first-round pick’s development remains a major emphasis for the Bears.
Nagy said he wants Fields to continue to work on fundamentals and stay prepared despite the new practice role. Fields declared Saturday he will make the most of whatever type of practice reps he gets.
“He does not like running the cards,” Nagy said. “And so we’ve got to continue to help him understand that you can grow in that role.”
3. Tarik Cohen still is working his way back from his knee injury.
Cohen didn’t practice all of training camp as the running back rehabilitates a torn ACL suffered while calling for a fair catch on a punt return Sept. 27 against the Atlanta Falcons.
Nagy has declined to put a timeline on Cohen’s return, but the Bears need to make a decision about his roster spot. They can move him to the reserve/physically unable to perform list to clear a spot before Tuesday’s deadline, but that would mean he must stay out six weeks.
Some players recover quicker from ACL tears than the 11 months Cohen has been out, and Nagy was vague when asked if Cohen had a second surgery on his knee.
“I’ve got to go back and find all the little scopes or surgeries that these guys have,” Nagy said. “But for him, he just got to a point where there was a little bit of the scar tissue and just the healing and all of that. It’s where he’s at right now. All I can appreciate from him is working every single day. He’s done that.”
Cohen has been on the sideline watching most practices, and Nagy praised the way he is working on his recovery.
“He’s not where he needs to be right now, but he is improving and the only thing that we can do is keep grinding with that rehab,” Nagy said. “He’s unbelievable in the meetings. I mean, he’s the same as he’s always been. Physically we’ve got to just keep taking it day by day, and I’m not going to put a timeline on that.”
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