Bears fire Nagy

The Bears fired HC Matt Nagy. This move has been anticipated for weeks now. Nagy went 12-4 in his first season at the helm but totaled only 22 wins over the past 3 seasons. He also didn't seem to maximize QB Justin Fields' skill set this year. Chicago's next HC hire will be key for Fields' development.

Update: Chicago also fired GM Ryan Pace.

Bears QB Justin Fields has spent much of the offseason working on his footwork. “He’s been really working on that, really good — in terms of the quick pass, drop-back pass, movement passes," HC Matt Eberflus said. "And he’s really made some big strides in that area." Fields finished 7th among QBs in fantasy points per game last year, despite averaging just 150 passing yards per game on a 60.4% completion rate and 7.1 yards per attempt. If he takes a step forward as a passer this year, Fields has the upside to lead his position in fantasy scoring. Besides the improved footwork, the arrival of WR D.J. Moore is exciting.

"That's the plan right now," Bears GM Ryan Poles said from the Combine on Tuesday when asked if QB Justin Fields will be the team's 2023 starter. Chicago holds the 1st overall pick of this spring's draft -- and Poles said he's doing his homework on the QB class. But the most likely scenario has the Bears trading that 1st pick to a QB-hungry team. If you're drafting early best-ball teams, assume that Fields will be under center for the Bears this season.

After speaking with Bears HC Matt Eberflus, insider Albert Breer expects the team to do its due diligence on the 2023 QB class but ultimately trade the 1st overall pick and stick with QB Justin Fields for this coming season. "They love [Fields] as a leader. They love him as a person. ... The question is is he the right QB," Breer said on the Rich Eisen Show. "The great thing about the position they're in right now is that they can probably get something significant for the 1st pick and use whatever they get to put something great around Fields. ... We'll give Justin a better situation. We'll get a cleaner evaluation of Justin in 2023. And then in 2024 we'll either have our QB of the future in Justin Fields, or we'll have a high pick in a draft with [USC QB] Caleb Williams and [North Carolina QB] Drake Maye are gonna be coming out." We'll see how this situation plays out over the next few months leading up to April's draft, but it sounds like 2023 will be a make-or-break year for Fields in Chicago. He was obviously dominant as a runner this past season but averaged just 150 passing yards per game on a 60.4% completion rate and 7.1 yards per attempt. A better offensive line and better weaponry would certainly help his chances of improving as a passer in 2023. Regardless, Fields is a safe pick in early fantasy drafts because he'll be starting somewhere this coming season, whether it's Chicago or elsewhere.

Bears QB Justin Fields will miss Week 18 with a hip injury. Per HC Matt Eberflus, an MRI showed a hip strain for the young QB. In his place, Chicago will roll out Nathan Peterman. The 28-year-old owns a career completion rate of 52.5% on 141 attempts. The Vikings defense figures to be a chalky option in DFS formats.

Bears QB Justin Fields ran for 132 yards on 10 carries in Sunday's lopsided loss at Detroit. It was his 3rd game of more than 100 rushing yards this season. Fields stunk as a passer, though, completing just 7 of his 21 attempts for 75 yards, 1 TD and an INT. His lone score went to TE Cole Kmet, 1 of just 4 Bears to catch any passes. Kmet led the team with 27 yards on 2 catches. Fields also took 7 sacks for the game and lost a fumble. He'll get another upside matchup in Week 18 against the Vikings but will be tougher to trust after 2 straight poor outings -- in real and fantasy football terms.