Just this time last offseason, Bears fans wouldn’t have expected that one year after the Bears went 12-4 and won the NFC North that they’d be faced with the franchise’s first legitimate quarterback competition since 2008.
But following an abysmal outing by the Bears offense led by Mitchell Trubisky, Chicago is in fix-it mode heading into 2020. While Trubisky wasn’t the only issue on offense — tight end and offensive line among the other issues — his struggles were the most concerning.
After all, Trubisky was expected to take a leap in his third season, and second under Matt Nagy. Instead, he regressed to the point where his future in Chicago is in question.
Now, Trubisky will have to battle for the starting job with former Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles, who the Bears traded for this offseason. While Trubisky hasn’t had to compete for the starting job in Chicago, he’s now embracing the opportunity to be the Bears’ starter.
“It’s going to be a good situation for us, and when we talked with Mitch, the excitement and determination and fire he had at knowing that this is going to be an open competition, that’s who he is,” Nagy said, via ChicagoBears.com.
Nagy said from the beginning that it takes three years to get a complete grip on this offense. With Trubisky entering his third season in this offense, Nagy believes Trubisky will make the biggest jump of his career.
“I think he would tell you the same thing,” Nagy said. “What I love about him is that he stays positive with that. He’s hungry to get better. But then on our side, too, we need to make sure that we as coaches are putting these guys—not just the quarterbacks but everybody—in the best position possible so that we can be successful.”
You have to believe the hope is that this competition pushes Trubisky to take a significant leap in his fourth year. Enough for him to win the starting job. Although for whoever lines up under center, they’re going to need some help from the rest of the offense to take one of the NFL’s worst units to respectable.
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