Chicago Bears must find competition for Mitchell Trubisky
Mitchell Trubisky appears set to remain the Chicago Bears’ quarterback for 2020. If that is the case, then they must find competition for their starter.
Mitchell Trubisky looks set to remain as the starting quarterback for the Chicago Bears despite an extremely underwhelming third season as the face of the franchise.
Trubisky, the second overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, failed to build on a 2018 season in which the Bears reached the playoffs and he displayed plenty of promise.
The former North Carolina star threw for 3,138 yards, completing 63.2 percent of his passes, for 17 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Trubisky’s number of picks in 2019 was remarkably low considering how many dangerous throws he attempted throughout the campaign.
Even with his considerable struggles, Bears general manager Ryan Pace said at their end-of-season press conference:
"“Mitch is our starter. We believe in Mitch and we believe in the progress that he’s going to continue to make.“We need more time in the coming months to evaluate everything, but the first thing that comes to mind for me is just consistency. You see moments, you see games, but for him [the issue is] stringing together better consistency. So you have peaks and valleys; we just need to flatten that out.”"
It is unlikely Bears fans will have the same patience the organization appears to possess as it waits for Trubisky to find consistency, and what is clear is that Chicago cannot afford to go into another season with a backup incapable of putting Trubisky under pressure.
The Bears have been mentioned as a potential destination for Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton. However, for the Bears to acquire the former number one overall pick, that would mean Pace going back on his word and parting with significant draft capital.
Chicago does not possess a great deal of draft picks following its 2018 trade for Khalil Mack. The Bears do not have a first-round pick in 2019 and it is debatable whether it would be worth trading their two second-round selections (picks No. 43 and No. 50) for a quarterback with a spotty injury history.
The Bears may be better served by using one of those choices on a quarterback in the 2020 class. Jacob Eason, Jake Fromm, and Jalen Hurts could all still be available at pick 43 and are capable of putting pressure on Trubisky should he keep the job and continue to struggle.
dark. Next. Cleveland Browns: John Dorsey firing signals another rebuild
It is no surprise the Bears are giving Trubisky a long leash given the investment they made in him. However, they need a viable alternative should there be no turnaround in his fortunes and, though the Bears appear to be keeping faith in Trubisky, they need to study the 2020 quarterback class intently.