Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
Bears’ Nagy won’t declare starter at QB before opener
Chicago coach Matt Nagy wants to keep Detroit guessing as to who the Bears’ starting quarterback will be. Nagy said he will not publicly announce Mitchell Trubisky or Nick Foles as the team’s starter prior to the Bears’ Sept. 13 season opener at Detroit.
“That won’t be happening before that game,” Nagy said on a Zoom call.
Trubisky and Foles have been locked in a battle for the starting job throughout training camp, evenly rotating days on the first-team since padded practices began Aug. 17.
Nagy, who confirmed the two will continue to split reps next week, declined to say who has the edge thus far.
“We like where they are at, but that’s an internal question for our coaches,” Nagy said. “That’s more gamesmanship than anything. But we know there can definitely be improvement for both of them.”
In 2018, Nagy’s first season as coach, the Bears went 12-4 as Trubisky passed for 3,223 yards, 24 touchdowns and 12 interceptions and ran for 421 yards and three TDs.
Trubisky, while playing much of last season with a shoulder injury that required surgery in January, ranked 28th in total QBR (39.4), tied for 27th in TD passes (17), 21st in passing yards (3,138), 32nd in yards gained per pass attempt (6.1) and 28th in traditional quarterback rating (83.0).
Chicago traded for Foles, the MVP of Super Bowl LII, at the onset of the new league year. The Bears later declined Trubisky’s fifth-year option and announced an open quarterback competition in training camp.
■ Three free agents, defensive ends T.J. Carter and Anthony Lanier II and linebacker Wynton McManis, signed deals with undisclosed terms. Carter is an undrafted rookie out of Kentucky. Lanier spent much of this offseason with Kansas City and was on the Los Angeles Chargers’ practice squad last season. McManis played in the CFL the past three seasons, totaling 86 tackles in 2019.
■ Coach Adam Gase said he expects to use a 60-40 backfield split between Le’Veon Bell and Frank Gore to keep Bell fresh for the entire season. Gase told ESPN he did a “poor job” managing Bell’s early-season workload in 2019, when he saw 99 touches in the first four games. Also, the team signed freeagent wide receiver Donte Moncrief to a deal with undisclosed terms.
■ Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick’s mother died Saturday, and he left a morning scrimmage to be with his family, coach Brian Flores said. Fitzpatrick missed one day of practice last week due to the illness of his mother, Lori. Flores said he didn’t know how long Fitzpatrick would be away. Miami’s first game is Sept. 13 at New England.
■ Rookie wide receiver K.J. Hamler (hamstring), who has missed the past 10 days of practice, was cleared to work on a side field with trainers. The second-round draft pick initially was given a twoto four-week timetable to return. Also, coach Vic Fangio said linebacker Todd Davis (calf ) could be ready for Week 1.
■ Tight end Trey Burton was helped off the practice field Saturday with an apparent leg injury that the Indianapolis Star reported to be a calf strain. Fellow tight end Jack Doyle is dealing with a lingering neck injury, leaving third-stringer Mo Alie-Cox in position for more snaps.
■ Running back Ronald Jones is sidelined with a foot injury that coach Bruce Arians doesn’t believe is serious.
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