Uncertainty Prevails with Bears QB

Coach Matt Eberflus suggests chance exists Justin Fields could play with his thumb taped up if his grip on the ball improves.

The Bears are proceeding as if Tyson Bagent will start Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders, although they're holding out hope for a rapid Justin Fields recovery.

Fields did not practice Wednesday, although the situation with his dislocated right thumb seems to be better according to coach Matt Eberflus. Gripping the ball is the issue.

"Again, the grip strength," Eberflus said Wednesday. "He's working better. The swelling has gone down some, which is good, so we'll see where it is."

The hope is by Friday they might see Fields' grip strength improve enough so he could play.

"That's where it is," Eberflus said. "Other people that have had this injury, it's gone that way where they've taped it and gone through it and they've played, and it's been a week-to-week thing. And then, all the way to having surgery and them being out. We don't know where it is yet. We'll figure it out later in the week."

Wait and see is all they can do now.

"Again, nothing’s off the table, nothing's on the table right now," Eberflus added. "We still gotta see where it is."

Under Bagent, the offense will operate differently than with the more mobile Fields, in terms of pocket and launch point. Bagent will be less likely to take off on scrambles and there could be fewer RPOs or bootleg plays.

"You play to their strengths of the quarterback, right?" Eberflus said. "So certainly some of it will look different. It'll look different for sure just because you've always gotta play to the strength of who's got the ball in their hands at quarterback and we're certainly gonna do that."

Bagent completed 10 of 14 for 83 yards with an interception and lost fumble in his pro debut, after relieving Fields in the third quarter Sunday against Minnesota.

The Bears added quarterback Trace McSorley on Tuesday for insurance behind Bagent and QB Nathan Peterman.

"He's on practice squad, so he gets to help us on the look squad, which is great this week," Eberflus said. "We’re not sure what quarterback we're playing yet, but we'll see where that is. But just the practice squad (for McSorley)."

There is a bit of an edge for the Bears competitively since the Raiders must be ready to face two drastically different styles of quarterback.

The Bears don't know who they'll face at QB because of a back injury to Raiders starter Jimmy Garoppolo. It could be rookie Aidan O'Connell, who played prep ball just down the road from Halas Hall at Stevenson High School. If it's not Garoppolo or O'Connell, it could be former Bears backup Brian Hoyer.

Either way, the Bears don't have to prepare much differently for any of the three.

"Very similar, they're very similar types," Eberflus said. "It's not like they're this end of the spectrum, that end of the spectrum. So it's not that big of a difference."

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