Chicago Bears 2022 Position Battles: Have they done enough at quarterback?

The Chicago Bears are scheduled to report to Halas Hall on July 26, with their first training camp practice on July 27, and the competition for roster spots will be fierce. A new regime means fresh eyes looking over the players, and while most of the 90-man roster are brand new to Chicago, there are plenty of holdovers looking to impress once the pads go on.

In this position by position series we’ll go over the current group in each room and speculate on who will be around come week one of the regular season.

First up are the quarterbacks and the only drama at this position will be whether the team carries a third on the 53-man roster or if they keep that QB3 on the practice squad.

Roster Locks

Justin Fields is the clear cut starting quarterback this offseason after not even having a shot at the job a year ago. Hindsight tells us that Chicago’s 2021 plan to ready Fields for NFL action wasn’t the best, so the fresh start with a new coaching staff and new offense is welcomed.

Fields acts and looks the part of a franchise quarterback, but he’ll still need to prove it to his coaches and to general manager Ryan Poles, which is something he’ll do when the season starts.

But so far it’s going well with the impression Fields has made on the new boss.

“My level of belief [in Fields] is sky high,” Poles said on 670 The Score’s Mully & Haugh Show back in May. “The way this guy is moving around the building right now is he is locked on, he is focused, he wants to be great. He’s a first-in last-out guy and he’s pulling this team together. And you can tell the effect he has on other people. All these guys, they’re showing up, they’re going to work, they’re doing extra with him.”

His back up this year is sure to be eight year pro Trevor Siemian, who is in his first season in Chicago after playing with the Saints the last year and a half. His best season was in 2016 with the Broncos when he started 14 games, passed for 3,401 yards, with 18 touchdowns.

He’s backed up some Hall of Fame quarterbacks during his time in the NFL and he knows the responsibility that comes with being the QB2.

“For Justin, I can give him a little bit of perspective,” Siemian said during OTAs. “I don’t want to act like I have all the answers and he’s certainly going to get plenty of coaching. But being a young starter—cause I was [one] several years ago—you need kind of a foxhole guy. Or a guy on some days to talk football with, and on some days to talk about movies or whatever else and shoot the breeze with. Justin’s got so much potential, so I’m looking to do whatever I can to help him hopefully make a jump here.”

A good bet to make it

If the Bears intend to carry a third QB then Nathan Peterman is likely that guy, but if that’s not their plan then he’s on the bubble, which means he probably lands on the practice squad.

On the bubble

There’s still time for the Bears to add a different prospect behind Fields and Siemian, but for now that guy is Peterman. He’s played with Buffalo and Las Vegas since being a 5th round pick of the Bills in 2017, and his most recent action game with the Raiders when he ran twice for two yards last year against the Bears.

The Siemian/Peterman pairing doesn’t have the resume that the QB2/QB3 had a season ago, but if Fields takes the step many believe he can (and stays healthy) that shouldn’t matter.

Are you guys comfortable with the group the Bears have at QB this year?