Bears’ Fields gets first start as NFL QB landscape shifts … There will be some major changes in the NFL’s QB landscape this coming week. For starters, former Ohio State star Justin Fields, the 11th player selected at the 2021 draft, will get his first career start when Chicago plays at Cleveland in an early game on Sunday. Fields will ostensibly be getting the start because incumbent starter Andy Dalton is sidelined with a knee injury, and Bears’ head coach Matt Nagy has been adamant this week that Dalton will get the job back when he’s healthy, but in the past the tendency has been that first-round QBs stay in the line-up once they get there as long as they don’t implode on the job. For the record, Dalton did not suffer an ACL injury, but still could miss as many as 3-4 weeks. Meanwhile, Houston will also be starting a rookie when the Texans host Carolina in the Thursday night game tomorrow. Houston put veteran starter on IR Tyrod Taylor this week because of a hamstring injury suffered this past weekend which all means that he too will miss up to a month. Taylor will be replaced by rookie Davis Mills, the Texans third round pick at this year’s draft. Of course, the Texans do still have star QB Deshaun Watson, but the team indicated that he was not an option and that he will in fact remain inactive unless he’s traded while the courts and the league try and sort out his various legal issues after 22 women filed lawsuits alleging sexual assault or harassment. Miami, the one team still believed to be considering trading for Watson if the Texans were ever to lower their demands, will also have a new starter at QB when they play at La Vegas in a late Sunday afternoon game. Jacoby Brissett will replace Tua Tagaovailoa who is out after hurting his ribs in last Sunday’s dismal home shutout loss to Buffalo.
And one quick update on the college QB situation. Southern California’s Kedon Slovis, who has generally be considered to be one of the top 4-5 prospects at the position for the 2022, will reportedly get the start when the Trojans host Oregon State this weekend. There had been some peculation that Slovis could be replaced by freshman Jaxson Dart who outplayed him in last weekend’s comeback win at Washington State, but Dart is reportedly a little too banged up to play.
