When the Chicago Bears decided to acquire quarterback Nick Foles from the Jacksonville Jaguars for a fourth-round draft pick last month, speculation began to surface on who would be the starting quarterback come September; Foles or Mitchell Trubisky? While there’s no firm answer yet, the team did lay out their plans for the position.
General manager Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy held a conference call with reporters on Friday morning, their first time meeting the media since the NFL Scouting Combine in February. Right off the bat, Pace addressed what was on everybody’s mind.
“With the addition of Nick Foles, it’s exactly what we talked about from the start. We want to create competition,” Pace said. “We’ve talked to both players, and it’s an open competition.”
Pace: "With the addition of Nick Foles it’s exactly what we talked about from the start – we want to create competition. We've talked to both players and it’s an open competition."
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) April 3, 2020
Nagy reiterated Pace’s comments and explained that the competition would be open and honest.
“It’s going to be very transparent and very honest,” Nagy said.
While he did reveal Trubisky will be the first person in the huddle when the Bears take the practice field next, he promised the competition would be fair between he and Foles.
“I can promise you this, it’s going to be extremely fair,” he said. “It’s going to be competitive in a good way.”
"I can promise you this, it's going to be extremely fair. It's going to be competitive it in a good way. It's going to be a healthy competitiveness."
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) April 3, 2020
While there’s no clear starter as of yet, the Bears have showed their hand just three months after publicly stating Trubisky is the starting quarterback heading into 2020. Now, the QB battle will take center stage when the team begins its offseason training program before heading into training camp and the preseason.
Both quarterbacks are coming off lackluster seasons. Trubisky passed for 3,188 yards for 17 touchdowns and 10 picks following a Pro-Bowl season. Foles, meanwhile, broke his collarbone in his first game as a Jaguar and only played in four games, totaling 736 yards with three touchdowns and two picks. Both players will have a chip on their shoulder heading into 2020 with hopes of emerging as the starter.
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