Chicago Bears HC Matt Nagy explains how Ryan Day helped with the decision to draft Justin Fields
The Chicago Bears made a surprise move when they traded to the 11th overall pick to select Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields. Chicago moved up nine spots in the draft to get its franchise quarterback. The Bears struck out on landing Russell Wilson and settled for Andy Dalton.
If there's one individual that knows everything about Justin Fields, it's Ohio State head coach Ryan Day. Nagy went on Colin Cowherd's show 'The Herd' and explained the process behind the Bears' selection of Justin Fields.
"The story begins last year, really a little over a year ago, when we were discussing 2020 prospects with Ryan Day. At the end of it, as the story goes, I just asked him about that quarterback and he said, 'Hey, man, this kid is a generational talent,' and that stuck with me."
Matt Nagy knew he couldn't go into the 2021-2022 NFL season with just Andy Dalton and Nick Foles as his two quarterbacks. The head coach decided to get a younger version of Russell Wilson when he drafted Fields. While watching Justin Fields play, it can be seen that he has a little bit of Russell Wilson in him.
When the San Francisco 49ers selected Trey Lance and the Falcons took Kyle Pitts, Chicago knew they had to do something fast. Matt Nagy knew that Justin Fields wasn't going to get past the New England Patriots at the 15th overall pick, and acted quickly to trade up and land the young quarterback.
The Chicago Bears finally have a QB that fits Matt Nagy
Matt Nagy mentioned another important thing during his conversation with Colin Cowherd. The Chicago Bears head coach said that he and general manager Ryan Pace will not throw Justin Fields into the fire if they don't think he's ready. Matt Nagy knows that Justin Fields is the final straw for him with the Bears.
If Justin Fields fails, Matt Nagy could potentially lose his job as the Chicago Bears head coach. Fields and Nagy both know the steps that go into being a starting quarterback as a rookie. The Bears know that if they start Justin Fields before he's ready, it will ruin his career and the Chicago Bears.
It'll be interesting to see if the Chicago Bears and Matt Nagy stick to their word when it comes to Fields. The franchise has Andy Dalton, and if he doesn't work out, they can turn to Nick Foles. Justin Fields needs to be the last resort for the Chicago Bears in 2021.