EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Bears quarterback Justin Fields won’t play Sunday against the Jets after the team listed him as inactive with a left shoulder injury. Trevor Siemian was slated to start but hurt his oblique during warmups. The Bears said he wouldn’t start, and that the job would go to Nathan Peterman, who was promoted from the practice squad on Saturday.
Siemian, though, shared warmups with Peterman the rest of the way and started anyway.
Running back David Montgomery is the emergency quarterback.
Fields warmed up for about 15 minutes with the Bears’ other two quarterbacks before the 10:30 a.m. inactive deadline. He threw passes to receivers and ran between the goal line and 40-yard line and MetLife Stadium. Wearing a hooded sweatshirt, Fields did not appear to be in obvious pain.
Fields separated his left shoulder and suffered ligament damage on a fourth-quarter hit by the Falcons a week ago. He was limited in practice all week and ruled questionable for the Jets game.
Head coach Matt Eberflus offered little detail about his plans for Fields, other than to say that he needed to be cleared by doctors, feel ready to play and get the blessing of the coaching staff. Fields’ participation seemed unlikely all week — he’s the team’s best asset and the 3-8 Bears have already been eliminated from NFC North contention. Were the season to end today, they’d draft third overall.
Siemian has thrown one pass this season. He went 0-4 as the Saints’ starter last year but won two games coming off the bench.
Peterman hasn’t started since 2018 — his last was a 32-point loss to the Bears as a member of the Bills, in fact — and has thrown only five passes since the end of that season. He’s been on the Bears’ practice squad all year.
Despite being the NFL’s leading rushing quarterback on an offense that ranks last in the NFL in passes, Fields had amazingly never missed a snap this season because of injury until Sunday. He started only 10 games last year, limited by injuries to his ribs and ankle, and a positive coronavirus test.
The Bears don’t plan on putting Fields on injured reserve, but it they might not be incentivized to rush him back for next week’s rivalry game. They host the Packers before having a bye, followed by the last four games of the regular season.
Cornerback Kyler Gordon, safety Jaquan Brisker and linebacker Sterling Weatherford were all previously ruled out with concussions. Receiver N’Keal Harry and offensive linemen Alex Leatherwood and Ja’Tyre Carter are healthy scratches.
