I don’t necessarily believe Pace and Nagy are in the same “desperate situation” they faced entering the draft, when the quarterback depth chart had Andy Dalton, Nick Foles and no one else. They were challenged entering the draft, and pretty much everyone knew they had to make a move for a rookie quarterback. Now that they have Fields in place, I don’t know that you can completely remove them from the hot seat. I believe the McCaskeys understand the development of a young quarterback is a process that takes time. But the Bears still have to show progress this season, certainly some offensive growth. If they simply throw Fields out there in Week 1 without making him clearly outperform Dalton, they risk the chance of expectations quickly falling. Everyone is excited about Fields right now. There’s real energy at Halas Hall. There’s a belief they have a guy who finally could solve the riddle at the position. Push him on the field too soon, see him stumble and then what happens for Pace and Nagy? The chances are pretty good that Fields starts in the first half of the season, and if that doesn’t happen, it might be because the Bears are playing better than anyone would expect with Dalton. That wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing, right? As far as Jenkins goes, he looks like the Day 1 starter because the team really doesn’t have competition for him on the current roster. But the situation for Pace and Nagy could quickly become desperate if Fields is forced into action too soon, looks unprepared and struggles.
