Bears quarterback Justin Fields won’t play Sunday against the Raiders after dislocating the thumb on his throwing hand. He won’t need surgery, and the Bears have not placed Fields on injured reserve.
The team hopes Fields can come back in less than four weeks, with the injury considered a two-to-three-week injury.
NFL Media reports that the Bears have not ruled out Fields for the Week 8 game against the Chargers.
Coach Matt Eberflus said earlier in the week that the swelling in Fields’ thumb had gone down.
“He’s improving,” Eberflus said, via Courtney Cronin of ESPN. “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.”
This week, though, it’s rookie Tyson Bagent making his first career start. He’s only the fourth Division II quarterback to start an NFL game the past 20 years.