Justin Fields has missed the Chicago Bears‘ past three games after dislocating his right thumb in Week 6, but he might be trending in the right direction. Will Fields return for Chicago’s Thursday night game against the Carolina Panthers? Or will undrafted rookie Tyson Bagent make his fourth NFL start?
Justin Fields Injury Update
Fields appeared to be on the right track during last week’s Bears practice sessions. After failing to practice for the better part of three weeks, Fields managed a limited practice last Friday.
Still, the former first-round pick was considered doubtful to suit up against the New Orleans Saints and ultimately sat out.
Fields was trending in the right direction early in the week. Chicago only held walkthroughs on Monday and Tuesday, but Fields was listed as a limited participant on both days. Head coach Matt Eberflus considers Fields day-to-day.
“We’ll look at it today. Look at how he’s doing today,” Eberflus said on Monday, per ESPN’s Courtney Cronin. “His functionality and see where it is.
“Injuries, guys coming off of injury, it always comes down to the medical staff clearing them, how the player feels he can function in the game, and then the coaches looking at it and say, ‘Hey, yes, he could function at a high level and get the job done.’ So it’s always those three factors.”
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Fields was limited during Wednesday’s practice, and Chicago has officially listed him as doubtful for Thursday night. Ebeflus said Fields has yet to be medically cleared to play.
Regardless of whether Fields or Bagent starts against the Panthers, it doesn’t sound like the Bears will alter their offensive approach.
“It’s not going to feel like it’s a different game plan by any means if we go one direction or the other,” offensive coordinator Luke Getsy said on Tuesday.
Fields was on fire before dislocating his thumb, passing for 617 yards and eight touchdowns against the Denver Broncos and Washington Commanders in Weeks 4 and 5.
The Bears have gone 1-2 in Bagent’s starts. While he’s been excellent at avoiding sacks and capitalizing on his mobility, Bagent has also thrown five interceptions over the past two weeks.
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