Matt Nagy has made his feelings about preseason football perfectly clear. He’s not a fan. While it’s beneficial in getting some reserve players experience, it’s not exactly ideal for starters considering the injury risk.
Nagy first made a statement when he decided to rest most of his starters during the third preseason game in 2018, which is the “dress rehearsal” game where starters typically play into the third quarter.
But last offseason, Nagy didn’t even let his starters see action from the get-go. While Mitchell Trubisky appeared for one series in the first preseason game, he didn’t attempt a single pass. Other players never even dressed for the preseason.
Well, that approach wasn’t exactly beneficial for the Bears last season, who finished 8-8 with an offense that was among the worst in the NFL. Now, Nagy is going with a new approach, one that will likely see more starters — and players jockeying for starting jobs — playing in preseason.
That’s most likely due to the open quarterback competition between Trubisky and Nick Foles. Nagy explained that both Trubisky and Foles will get equal reps in the preseason. But that’s also not limited to the quarterback position.
But that doesn’t mean you’ll necessarily see guys like Khalil Mack, Akiem Hicks, Eddie Jackson or Kyle Fuller playing in preseason either.
Nagy confirms that both Trubisky and Foles will play in preseason games and get equal reps. Plus players at other positions will play as well. Different from past years.
— Larry Mayer (@LarryMayer) April 3, 2020
Nagy insists that, when the quarterback competition opens, that Trubisky will be the first one in the huddle. While there’s no clear-cut starter at this point, Trubisky and Foles’ battle will dominate training camp and preseason headlines.
The NFL plans to start the 2020 season on time, preseason included, although that’s subject to change. So, once the preseason does get under way, expect for those games to mean a tad more than they have in the past couple of years.
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