Bears to start Nathan Peterman after Trevor Siemian hurt in warm-ups

There's twists and turns. And then there's the Chicago Bears' backup quarterback situation.

After Justin Fields separated his left, non-throwing shoulder in Atlanta against the Atlanta Falcons last Sunday and was declared inactive for Chicago's game against the New York Jets, veteran QB Trevor Siemian was in line to start his first game since Week 12 of the 2021 season, when he was with the New Orleans Saints.

Siemian, however, injured an oblique muscle during pregame warm-ups at MetLife Stadium and will serve as the backup to quarterback Nathan Peterman, who the Bears promoted from the practice squad to the active roster on Saturday.

This will be Peterman's first start since Week 9 of the 2018 season, when he was with the Buffalo Bills. In that game, Peterman went 31-of-49 for 188 yards and three interceptions in Buffalo's 41-9 loss to Chicago.

He last threw a pass in a regular-season game in 2020, when he was with the Las Vegas Raiders, completing 3-of-5 passes for 25 yards in relief of Derek Carr in a 43-6 loss to the Falcons.

With a diminished depth chart at quarterback, the Bears also have running back David Montgomery available as an emergency option.

"He's kind of that extra green dot that we have in our back pocket," offensive coordinator Luke Getsy said this week.