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Former Chicago Bears second overall pick Mitchell Trubisky’s stranglehold on the starting-quarterback job ended the moment Chicago traded for veteran Nick Foles.
Last week, the Bears declared that Foles and Trubisky will have an open competition during the offseason. “They’re going to [both] play in preseason,” Bears coach Matt Nagy said on a conference call with Chicago media. “It’ll be equal reps, and it’ll be a good competition for them.” Whenever it begins, Trubisky will be the underdog in the head-to-head battle against Foles. Trubisky’s subpar play last year forced Chicago to actively seek out a veteran quarterback in free agency. Foles didn’t come cheap. Foles is still owed approximately $21 million in guarantees -- even after the two sides restructured Foles’ deal -- and Chicago had to send Jacksonville a compensatory fourth-round pick.
Trubisky will earn $4.423 million in 2020 and count $9.237 million against the salary cap. The Bears won’t say whether the team intends to exercise Trubisky’s fifth-year option – guaranteed only against injury. That decision is due in early May. “Mitch is a competitor,” Bears general manager Ryan Pace said on last week’s conference call. “I think when you’re built that way, competition brings out the best in you." Here are the scenarios for each quarterback to win the job: Trubisky: First of all, Trubisky’s left shoulder injury needs to be fully healed to compete with Foles. The 25-year-old quarterback played a good portion of last season with a partially torn labrum in his left shoulder that required surgery in January. Pace reiterated last week that Trubisky’s rehab is on schedule. Trubisky is expected to receive full medical clearance. So, assuming Trubisky doesn’t suffer any further medical setbacks, the next step is to play the best football of his young career.
That’s the only way Trubisky can salvage the situation. The fact Pace traded up one spot in 2017 to draft Trubisky second overall is no longer of any consequence.
The Bears have to win in 2020. Jobs are on the line. Everyone in the building knows it. In 2018, Nagy's first season as head coach, the Bears went 12-4 as Trubisky passed for 3,223 yards, 24 touchdowns and 12 interceptions and rushed for 421 yards and three touchdowns. Of course, Chicago benefited from historically great defense that year. The Bears scored defensive touchdowns in bunches and led the league in a slew of defensive categories, including points allowed, interceptions and total takeaways. Trubisky had six games that season with a quarterback rating of over 100. Then, the bottom fell out. Trubisky finished last season 28th in total QBR (39.4), tied for 27th in touchdown passes (17), 21st in passing yards (3,138), 32nd in yards gained per pass attempt (6.1) and 28th in traditional quarterback rating (83.0). The Bears went 8-8 and failed to reach the playoffs. The trouble began last summer. Trubisky struggled almost daily in training camp against Chicago’s top-rated defense. The inconsistencies carried over to the regular-season opener, in which Trubisky bombed against the Green Bay Packers. Trubisky never truly recovered. Trubisky will have to string together great practice after great practice -- something he never did last summer -- to edge out Foles. With the offseason program in question due to the coronavirus outbreak, that consistency figures to be more difficult for Trubisky this season.
Trubisky will likely never be the superstar of the other quarterbacks in his draft class -- Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes. However, if Trubisky can combine a grasp of the offense with the playmaking ability he showed in 2018, then he has a chance. The Bears, however, don’t have the time nor the patience to allow Trubisky to work through issues on the practice field. The Bears have to hit the ground running, and that bodes well for Trubisky. Foles: The 31-year-old quarterback is well-positioned to overtake Trubisky because of the pre-existing relationships he enjoys with the Bears’ offensive staff, specifically Nagy, who coached Foles in Philadelphia and Kansas City. “I have a history with Nick,” Nagy said. “... He’s been in this position before, and he’s handled it great.”
While Trubisky has never faced true competition in the NFL or handled adversity particularly well, Foles is no stranger to competition or adversity. He has won in the playoffs, been Super Bowl MVP, been traded, been injured, been released, been third-string -- you name it. Foles is unlikely to wilt under the pressure of an open competition. Foles also arrives in Chicago with a built-in understanding of Nagy’s offense. Executing on that knowledge and experience will be key to Foles taking the job. But, Foles has to stay healthy. He suffered a broken collarbone in Week 1 last season and was unable to earn back Jacksonville’s trust. “I think, obviously, I have a foundation from when I was in Kansas City, and we ran a different version in Philadelphia that was different than this,” Foles said last week. “But that’s the fun part. You get to bring that information of what we did in Philly to Chicago and try to fine-tune it and develop it and mix it into the Bears' offense DNA. I would say there is a strong infrastructure there with the knowledge of it. “... So it’s nice to have that foundation. But it’s by no means starting over with no knowledge of the offense.” In the end, for Foles to win the job, the expectation is for him to play the type of football he has played throughout his career. For Trubisky to keep the job, the expectation is that he must take his game to another level. The competition might be open, but it sure seems like it will be harder for Trubisky to win it than it will be for Foles to lose it.
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