Bears quarterback Justin Fields (left shoulder) will have an opportunity to warm up prior to Chicago's game versus the New York Jets on Sunday, but he would be a long shot to play, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo reported Saturday night, per sources.
Fields is currently dealing with a shoulder injury he suffered during the Bears' Week 11 game versus the Falcons. It was first reported the injury was a dislocation, and later in the week Fields added additional detail on the damage, saying that he had a separated shoulder with a partially torn ligament.
Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said Monday that Fields would be day-to-day with the injury, and he was able to participate in a limited capacity throughout the week. At the end of the week Fields received a questionable designation for the game, allowing for the possibility of him playing. But with Eberflus saying he would only play Fields if he's 100 percent ready, it's looking more than likely that he will not be able to take the field against New York after all.
Lined up to start in this case would be Trevor Siemian, a veteran who has played six seasons in the league but would be making his first start with Chicago. Behind him would likely be QB Nathan Peterman, who was elevated from the practice squad Saturday, possibly in anticipation of Fields being unable to start.
The Bears' opponent will also not have their usual starting quarterback under center, as coach Robert Saleh announced that Zach Wilson has been benched in favor of Mike White for this week's game.
Fields' absence would be greatly felt by the Bears offense, as the quarterback had gone on a tear in the last few weeks. Fields has an NFL-high 15 touchdowns since Week 7, with six coming on the ground as part of a five-week streak of games with at least one passing and one rushing TD, tied for the longest such streak since 1950. Now, unless his warmup on Sunday goes exceptionally well, it's looking like he won't be building on that this week.
The Bears and Jets kick off at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
