The Chicago Bears haven’t had much luck at the quarterback position in their 100-year history. And it’s more of the same heading into the next century of Bears football with the impending quarterback competition between Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles.
Chicago was hoping that Trubisky would be the answer to their franchise quarterback woes, but three years in it appears as if he’ll wind up another name on the long list of failed Bears quarterbacks.
Following a season where he was expected to take the next step, Trubisky regressed to the point where general manager Ryan Pace traded for Foles to challenge him for the starting job and possibly replace him.
Bleacher Report ranked the Bears’ quarterback position among the worst in the NFL, where they clocked in at No. 28. Chicago ranks above just four teams, including the New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins, Washington Redskins and Jacksonville Jaguars.
But Chicago smartly couldn’t go with Trubisky and nothing else again. Last year, Trubisky completed 63.2 percent of his passes with just 17 touchdowns over 15 games as the Bears regressed from 12 wins to 8-8. He also posted a bottom-three QBR at 39.5.
The oddity is Foles as the solution. While he has past experience with quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo and some obvious postseason success, he’s only completed 61.9 percent of his passes in his career, hasn’t handled a full-time starting gig since 2015 and played in just four games last year.
In theory, a steadier presence under center could mean more wins. But the numbers aren’t kind to Chicago right now.
While the Bears’ quarterback situation might not rank among the best in the NFL, there’s no denying that it’s an upgrade from last season. Chase Daniel, who has only started five games in his 11-year career, was a great coach in the position meetings, but he wasn’t exactly the quarterback that could come in for an extended period of time and replace Trubisky.
Regardless of who wins the quarterback competition between Trubisky and Foles, Chicago will have an experienced NFL starter waiting in the wings should things go south — be it injury-wise or performance-wise.
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