Chicago Bears go into a mini-bye weekend with a win — and with the hope Justin Fields (cracked ribs) and Roquan Smith (hamstring) can heal before the next game
Justin Fields is moving around “pretty good,” according to coach Matt Nagy, but it’s premature to say what the rookie quarterback’s status will be with the Chicago Bears, who launched into a mini-bye weekend Friday.
Fields was inactive for Thursday’s come-from-behind, 16-14 victory over the Detroit Lions at Ford Field, sidelined with what Nagy confirmed were cracked ribs. On Friday morning, with players set to be off for the weekend, Nagy said he didn’t know the recovery time, but it’s certainly possible the first-round draft pick could return and start against the Arizona Cardinals on Dec. 5 at Soldier Field.
“We have some time on our side right now,” Nagy said. “Every day matters for him. I think he’s doing a good job of keeping the communication open. But we’re going to have to wait and see truly where his health is to the point of him being able to play or not play. We don’t want to obviously risk more injury to him as well.”
The status of inside linebacker Roquan Smith also remains up in the air after he left the Thanksgiving game in the second quarter with a hamstring injury. Free safety Eddie Jackson returned to action after missing two games — three weeks when including the bye — with his own hamstring injury. The team placed nickel cornerback Duke Shelley on injured reserve after he pulled a hamstring last week.
“The soft tissue, you never know,” said Nagy, who indicated he’s hopeful Smith will avoid an IR stint. “Everyone’s a little bit different. It depends on the magnitude and the level of (pull). Everybody gets them and they’re all probably a little bit different on how many you’ve had in your career, how do you respond to them, all that. He’ll be doing everything he can to get right.”
Smith entered the game tied for third in the league in tackles. The Bears used Christian Jones and undrafted rookie Caleb Johnson alongside Alec Ogletree after Smith went out.
“I think everybody understands and knows how I feel about Roquan and the type of football player he is,” Nagy said. “But I don’t know if people truly understand who he is as a leader of this team. Not just the defense but the team in general. He’s a big part of this thing. His true professionalism, the respect that he has from his teammates, from his coaches, it’s rare. And he’s only been getting better every year and this year is probably his best year.”
Andy Dalton completed 24 of 39 passes for 317 yards, one touchdown and one interception in the first 300-yard passing game for the offense this season and third since the beginning of 2020. Nagy reiterated what he has said all along, that Fields will return to the starting quarterback role when healthy. The Bears will have a scaled-back practice Monday and then start their normal week of preparation Wednesday.
Fields played through a brutal shot to his ribs in the NCAA semifinal game for Ohio State in January, so the Bears believe they have a tough competitor who could very well be available to face the Cardinals.
“Justin is really growing and getting better, and I think we all saw that, he’s having great moments,” Nagy said. “Are there places that he can get better and we can help him get better? For sure, that’s a rookie year, that happens, that’s a part of developing a rookie quarterback.
“His confidence, I think (Thursday) was good for Justin, and we talked about it. He sees it from a different perspective from on the sideline and now there’s things that maybe he can use yesterday’s experience for when he does come back.”
