Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields has been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders due to a dislocated thumb on his right hand. The 24-year-old Fields was classified as doubtful by coach Matt Eberflus on Monday and did not practice throughout the week. As a result, rookie backup Tyson Bagent will start against Las Vegas, becoming only the fourth Division II quarterback to start an NFL game in the past two decades.
The Bears had initially stated that they would wait until the end of the week to make a determination on Fields’ condition. However, coach Matt Eberflus provided an update earlier in the week, noting that the swelling in Fields’ thumb had decreased and that the team remains optimistic about his prognosis beyond Week 7. Eberflus stated, “He’s improving. The mobility’s getting better, the swelling went down, the grip strength is better. It’s trending in the right direction. He’ll be week to week and we’ll know more Monday.”
Despite Fields’ absence for Sunday’s game, the Bears do not plan to place him on injured reserve. Eberflus mentioned that Fields is currently not on the path toward surgery, although it is not entirely ruled out as a possibility at a later date.
Fields will not participate in any pregame throwing on Sunday but has been focusing on conditioning throughout the week. According to Eberflus, Fields’ grip strength is not at a level where he can throw just yet, and the team believes that giving him more time for improvement will benefit his rehabilitation. Eberflus commented, “The grip strength is really where it is, the functionality of it. If we see more of that – and it’s obviously trending in the right direction, that’s what it’s done this week. That’s where it’s looking good.”
The Bears, while dealing with the absence of Fields, still expect him to regain his starting role once he is fully healthy. Eberflus stated, “Yeah, obviously Justin’s our starter and we’re working him back in there. So we’ll see where it goes and as he progresses we’ll see where it is.”
In addition to Fields, the Bears have also ruled out Eddie Jackson (foot), Nate Davis (ankle), Terell Smith (illness), and Roschon Johnson (concussion). However, rookie right tackle Darnell Wright, who has started every game so far this season, is listed as questionable with a shoulder injury. Despite this, Eberflus expressed confidence that Wright would be able to play against the Raiders, stating, “I do feel that. Again, we’ll assess it later today but today he looked like he was in a good spot.”
For more information on Fields’ injury and the Bears’ upcoming game, you can visit the article [here](https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/38705025/injured-bears-qb-justin-fields-tyson-bagent-start).