There couldn’t have been a worse time for the Chicago Bears to host a quarterback competition than this season. Never mind this is a team that is in win-now mode, but with the restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic, it doesn’t give Matt Nagy a substantial sample size to evaluate.
Incumbent starter Mitchell Trubisky and veteran Nick Foles will have just training camp and a potentially shortened preseason to win the starting job. It’s for that reason that Trubisky believes that he has somewhat of an edge heading into this competition.
“I think because it’s a small sample size, I think that advantage goes to me just because I’ve been the starter here the last two years, these are my guys, my teammates and guys I’ve built super strong relationships over the last two years,” Trubisky told reporters Friday.
While Trubisky certainly benefits from two seasons of experience in this offense and with these playmakers, Foles isn’t at a huge disadvantage. Foles has experience operating in an offense similar to Nagy’s during his time in Philadelphia and Kansas City, so he’s certainly not coming in blind.
Ultimately, Trubisky knows it comes down to how they perform on the field. Regardless of the experience in the offense or relationships with teammates, if Trubisky doesn’t put it together on the field, it won’t mean a thing.
“But at the end of the day, it comes down to on-field performance,” Trubisky said. “I think we both know that. The coaches know that and our teammates know that. When it comes down to getting on the field in training camp and competing against our defense, we just want to go out there and be a better offense. I’ve just got to make sure the offense is better when I’m on the field, doing my job the best I possibly can and make sure I’m giving the Chicago Bears a great chance to win heading into the season.
“Whatever the sample size is, the on-field performance in practices, preseason games, whatever capacity that is, I think will determine it. But I’m excited for the process and I know it will be a good, healthy competition with all the guys in our room and we’re just going to push each other and make our team better.”
May the best quarterback win.
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