The Chicago Bears were clear from the beginning of the offseason: They needed to bring in an experienced, veteran quarterback to challenge Mitchell Trubisky, who was coming off a season where he regressed. But when the Bears traded for Nick Foles, the move was met with some criticism, given general manager Ryan Pace had shelled out $21 million guaranteed and a fourth-round compensatory when there were more affordable options still on the market.
But one of the biggest reasons that the Bears were so gung-ho on bringing Foles to Chicago was because of his familiarity with the offense and the coaching staff. Not only has Foles worked with head coach Matt Nagy, offensive coordinator Bill Lazor and quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo in the past, he’s also operated in an offense similar to what the Bears run in Chicago.
Foles told reporters that he feels “right at home” in Nagy’s offense. An offense that is similar to the one he ran during his impressive postseason run in 2017 with the Philadelphia Eagles that culminated in a Super Bowl victory.
#Bears QB Nick Foles said he feels “right at home” in Matt Nagy’s offense. The language is very similar to Philadelphia.
— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) July 31, 2020
Considering back in March there were concerns about an unconventional 2020 season, the Bears knew that bringing in someone that was already familiar with the kind of offense the Bears run was best.
Given the absence of offseason workouts and preseason, it certainly helps having someone that’s already familiar with the offense that can challenge Trubisky for the starting job. But one of the disadvantages for Foles entering this QB battle is that he lacks the familiarity that Trubisky has with Chicago’s skill position players.
Now, Chicago’s most important position battle comes down to just training camp reps. Although the Bears will find creative ways to challenge Foles and Trubisky. Nagy has made it clear that he’s going to be upfront with both quarterbacks — that he won’t be afraid to tell them if they’re “playing like crap.”
Well, it certainly helps that both are already familiar with the offense.
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