Tag: Bears quarterback competition

Kyle Long weighs in on Bears QB competition

Everyone has an opinion on the Bears’ quarterback competition, including former Bears RG Kyle Long.

Everyone has an opinion on the Chicago Bears’ quarterback competition, including former Bears right guard Kyle Long.

While Long has adamantly been a supporter of his former teammate Mitchell Trubisky, he’s acknowledged that bringing in Nick Foles indicated Chicago’s confidence in Trubisky is lacking. The trade for Foles not only challenges Trubisky but presents Chicago with his potential replacement.

Long recently discussed the Bears’ quarterback competition with 670 the Score, where he shared his thoughts on both Trubisky and Foles and how they both serve to get better from this battle.

“If Mitch comes out with his hair on fire, I think he can win this job,” Long told 670 the Score. “Mitch will learn things from Nick. Nick will learn things from Mitch. My brother (former Philadelphia Eagle Chris Long) said Nick Foles is a one of a kind leader.”

Bears head coach Matt Nagy has preached an open and fair competition that will begin once the team can return to the practice field. The battle will last into preseason, where Trubisky and Foles will get a chance to impress in real-game action.

Long believes that Trubisky can win the starting job. Although, many people feel that Foles is the clear-cut favorite at this point. Luckily, quarterback competitions aren’t a popularity contest. They’re won on the field.

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Where did Mitchell Trubisky rank among QBs with deep passes in 2019?

There weren’t many things that Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky did well last season, which included his deep-ball accuracy.

There weren’t many things that Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky did well last season, as the entire NFL world will point out. Trubisky was supposed to take the next step in his development in his third season. Instead, he regressed in what was his worst season as a pro.

One of Trubisky’s biggest struggles was accuracy, which ironically enough was what general manager Ryan Pace noted as one of his strengths coming out of college.

But when it came to deep-ball accuracy last season, Trubisky struggled mightily. According to Pro Football Focus, Trubisky ranked among the worst quarterbacks in the NFL in deep passing in 2019, where he clocked in at No. 27.

34.4% completion percentage, 10.4 yards per attempt, 62.4 Passer Rating

The best thing that can be said about Mitchell Trubisky’s deep passing is that it’s no worse than his regular passing, and his PFF grade ranks around the same place in either scenario. Trubisky completed just 34.4% of his deep shots for only 10.4 yards per attempt, and that’s with Allen Robinson II winning jump balls at a high rate. Ultimately it’s just another part of Trubisky’s game that has likely cost him the starting job in favor of Nick Foles, whose numbers last season may have been even worse than Trubisky’s.

Things were about as bad as they could’ve been for Trubisky last season, which prompted Bears general manager Ryan Pace to trade for former Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles. Trubisky and Foles will compete for the starting job in an open and fair competition that will last into preseason.

While many figure Foles is the favorite to win the job, Trubisky has one last chance to prove to Pace and Matt Nagy that he can be Chicago’s franchise quarterback.

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Bears want Mitchell Trubisky, Nick Foles to make decision hard determining starting QB

Bears head coach Matt Nagy believes the quarterback competition will serve to help both Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles.

Following a disappointing 2019 season, the Chicago Bears have been focused on fixing an offense that was among the worst in the NFL last season. Whether that’s been retooling the tight end position, adding more speed on offense or focusing on the run game, the Bears have made offense a priority this offseason.

But arguably the most important work will come at the quarterback position, where incumbent starter Mitchell Trubisky will have to compete for the starting job over former Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles.

Bears head coach Matt Nagy believes the quarterback competition will serve to help both Trubisky and Foles. But, ultimately, he’d like both Trubisky and Foles to make it hard on them when they’re deciding who the starting quarterback should be. Because that would mean that both have elevated their game.

“We’re all very open and honest in the discussions we have and then we just let things play out,” Nagy said. “In the end, what we want is for both those quarterbacks to be the best possible quarterbacks they can be individually and making it hard on us making the decision as to who the starter is, and that makes the Bears a better football team.

“When you have two good people like we do in Mitchell and Nick, it makes these types of decisions and conversations a lot easier to have because they’re competitive as hell, they want the best for the Bears, and they’re going to fight their tails off to do that. I think that’s the beauty of it.”

Chicago’s quarterback competition will no doubt be the talk of training camp and the preseason. While many believe Foles is the favorite to win the starting job, the hope remains that Trubisky will grow into the franchise quarterback general manager Ryan Pace believed he could be.

But with the Bears’ Super Bowl window closing — with this dominant, championship-caliber defense — they just need a quarterback that can operate this offense efficiently to help make a return to the postseason. We’ll see it that winds up being Trubisky, Foles or neither. Though, hopefully, it’s not the latter.

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PFF believes Nick Foles gives Bears best chance to return to postseason

Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles will battle for the Bears’ starting QB job. But for many, the early favorite is Foles.

Following a disappointing 2019 season, the Chicago Bears will be looking to redeem themselves in 2020. But in order to do that, they need a much better effort on offense.

While there were no shortage of issues on offense for Chicago last season, quarterback was arguably the biggest. Mitchell Trubisky regressed in his third season, and general manager Ryan Pace was forced to bring in reinforcements in the form of former Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles.

Trubisky and Foles will battle for the starting job in training camp and preseason, and the Bears are hoping that the guy that emerges victorious can lead this offense in 2020.

For many, the early favorite is Foles, who already has experience in a Matt Nagy-like offense. Pro Football Focus believes the Bears quarterback competition will be the battle to watch in training camp, but they believe Foles gives Chicago the best chance to return to the playoffs.

The Bears have indicated that this will be a legitimate competition between Foles and Trubisky, but it’s hard to imagine Foles isn’t the starter in 2020. He’s simply the better quarterback. The highs for Foles have been pretty high — namely his 2013 season with the Eagles (eighth-highest passing grade in the NFL) and his back-to-back elite performances during the Eagles’ Super Bowl run in 2017.

To be fair, the lows have been pretty low, but Foles has shown a ceiling that Trubisky hasn’t to this point. That gives the Bears a better chance of getting back to the postseason in 2020 than if they were to roll with Trubisky. 

Just one year removed from the postseason, the Bears struggled en route to a 8-8 record. Trubisky’s regression certainly contributed to that, and Pace understands that Chicago’s Super Bowl window is closing.

Given the Bears’ championship-caliber defense, they don’t need an MVP-like performance out of their quarterback. They just need a quarterback that can effectively run the offense. Right now, the decision to trade for Foles indicates they don’t believe Trubisky is that guy. Perhaps Foles is.

Ultimately, the better quarterback should win this battle. Whether that’s Foles or Trubisky remains to be seen, but it’ll be a focal point leading up to the 2020 regular-season opener.

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Bears QB competition won’t begin until they hit the practice field

Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles will compete for the starting QB job – but that battle hasn’t started yet amid a virtual offseason.

If you thought hearing about the Chicago Bears’ quarterback competition was getting old already, buckle up for training camp and preseason, where it will dominate local and national conversation.

Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles are set to compete for the starting quarterback job, a competition being touted as “fair” and “open.”

In case any clarification was needed, Bears coach Matt Nagy revealed that the quarterback competition hasn’t started in this virtual offseason — and it’s not going to start until they hit the practice field, whenever that may be.

“There’s no competition going on right now over Zoom,” Nagy told reporters Friday, via ChicagoBears.com.

“There’s no way to possibly say the competition has started right now. But when we do get onto the field—depending on when that is—that’s where we are going to have to be really good as coaches in making sure that we provide the best way possible to make it as fair as possible, to where we can evaluate and they can go out and get the exact same reps in the exact same environment, so that we can hopefully make a decision off of that.”

The preseason will play a significant factor in determining the starter, as it’s game experience that matters. In past years, Nagy has kept his starters out of preseason, as a precautionary measure. But that hindered the Bears rather than helped them, especially on offense. But with several competitions — most notably quarterback — preseason is the best way to evaluate these players.

“That’s the best time for us to be able to get the evaluation process going,” Nagy said. “And so we need to get as many reps as we can to be able to see what they’re doing when we do it.

“We’re going to do everything we can, and if we need to have more competition-type levels, 11-on-11-type deals in practice, we’ll do that too. And again, remember this isn’t just for the quarterbacks, but it’s a lot of positions across the board, which will be great.”

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Despite shortened offseason, Nick Foles not at disadvantage in QB battle

Nick Foles will battle Mitchell Trubisky for the Bears’ starting QB job. Despite the shortened offseason, Foles is prepared.

It’s not a question that the headline that will dominate training camp and preseason will be the quarterback competition between Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles.

Although, this certainly wasn’t the way the Bears had anticipated this offseason going amid the coronavirus pandemic. But despite the shortened offseason, Bears head coach Matt Nagy insists that Foles is in no way at a disadvantage heading into this quarterback battle.

Considering Foles’ experience in a Nagy-like offense, he’s been able to pick up pretty quickly with the digital playbook and through virtual meetings.

“It’s like riding a bike,” Nagy told reporters Friday. “He’s been through some different offenses, even from the last time we were together in Kansas City, but once you present somebody like Nick the playbook and they start looking at it, all of a sudden it just clicks.

“You start remembering it and you just start retraining your brain from what you knew in the past year or couple years… There’s still terminology differences between all of us, but that doesn’t take much. And Nick’s a smart guy.”

The Bears traded a fourth-round pick for Foles this offseason, a move which was widely criticized by NFL experts. But considering the circumstances of this offseason — which limits on-field activity during offseason workouts — the Bears made the move that was best for them.

Foles already has experience in this type of offense, dating back to his days in Kansas City and Philadelphia, which should make for a relatively seamless transition. While there are terminology differences with Nagy’s offense, Foles has a fundamental understanding of this offense, which could wind up being invaluable for the Bears should he win the starting quarterback job over Trubisky.

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ESPN dubs Mitchell Trubisky one of the losers of this offseason

With the addition of Nick Foles and the Bears declining his fifth-year option, Mitchell Trubisky’s future is uncertain beyond 2020.

For the Chicago Bears, this offseason has been about addressing concerns that plagued them during an unimpressive 2019 campaign. And there’s been no one more criticized than quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, who now finds himself fighting for his starting job.

While Trubisky was far from the only problem on offense, he was arguably the biggest. During a season where he was expected to take the next step in his development, he regressed to the point where general manager Ryan Pace felt it necessary to bring in competition — and a potential replacement — in Nick Foles.

So, as far as offseasons go, this hasn’t been a great one for Trubisky. Trubisky is among the “losers” of this offseason, according to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, who believes the writing is on the wall for the former No. 2 overall pick.

ESPN noted the Bears opting to decline Trubisky’s fifth-year option as a bad sign of what’s to come. But they did acknowledge that one of his teammates has proven to be the exception.

Trubisky will instead have to look toward a teammate for hope. The Bears declined Kyle Fuller’s fifth-year option after injuries and inconsistent play, but after a breakout season, they used the transition tag to keep him around before matching a four-year, $56 million offer sheet. Fuller ended up making much more than he would have if the Bears had simply picked up that option in the first place. They have spent years trying to surround Trubisky with talent to confirm their belief that he was a franchise quarterback in the making. Now he has to overcome their skepticism and the odds.

Many have lost faith in Trubisky, including his GM and head coach, from the looks of it. But the hope remains that Trubisky will overcome the odds and become the quarterback Pace expected he’d become when he drafted him No. 2 overall.

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Mitchell Trubisky is embracing QB competition with Nick Foles

Many have already written off Mitchell Trubisky. But he has a chance to make a statement by winning the Bears starting QB job.

There’s not a lot of confidence surrounding quarterback Mitchell Trubisky heading into the final year of his contract with the Chicago Bears. And rightfully so.

Trubisky hasn’t lived up to his former No. 2 overall billing. In his third season, he was expected to take the next step in his development. Instead, he regressed in an abysmal Bears offense. Meanwhile, the two quarterbacks taken after him in Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson are the future of the NFL. Simply put, the Bears dropped the ball.

But a strong season would do wonders for the narrative surrounding Trubisky in Chicago. Although, in order to get that opportunity, he first has to win the starting quarterback job against former Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles.

The odds seem stacked against Trubisky. General manager Ryan Pace’s action have indicated that the organization has all but given up on him. But Trubisky has one last chance to prove to this organization that he can the guy. And it begins with winning the starting job.

Trubisky faces adversity heading into his fourth season, and ultimately how you respond to it says a lot about you. For Trubisky, he’s choosing to embrace the competition with Foles, according to head coach Matt Nagy.

Ultimately, this quarterback competition serves to make the Bears better. If Trubisky winds up being the guy, great. But if he doesn’t, they’ve got an experienced veteran in Foles that has experience in a Nagy-like offense.

Many have already written off Trubisky. But he has a chance to make a statement before the start of the regular season. The hope remains that Trubisky can turn things around. If he does, everyone wins.

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Mitchell Trubisky says he’s ‘100 percent’ following shoulder surgery

The hope is that Mitchell Trubisky will rise to the occasion and win the Bears’ starting QB job. But to do that, he needs to be healthy.

Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky is facing a new challenge this season. No longer is he the clear-cut starter. Instead, he’ll have to battle newcomer Nick Foles for the starting quarterback job, a competition that will dominate preseason discussion.

The hope is that Trubisky will rise to the occasion and win the starting role. But to do that, he needs to be healthy.

Last season, Trubisky suffered a partially torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder against the Vikings in Week 4. While Trubisky missed just one game after that, he played through the injury with a brace for the duration of the season.

While it wasn’t Trubisky throwing shoulder that was impacted, there’s no denying that the injury affected parts of his play, including limiting his mobility — one of the stronger parts of his play.

Trubisky had surgery on his left, non-throwing shoulder earlier this offseason, and general manager Ryan Pace believed he’d be 100 percent by the start of training camp in late July.

But according to Trubisky, his shoulder is 100 percent right now. Trubisky appeared on former Bears quarterback Chase Daniel’s show “Chase Chats,” where he said while he hasn’t been able to get a physical in order to be cleared, that “I pretty much cleared myself.”

While that self-diagnosis certainly isn’t enough to get him back on the field, it’s a good sign for the former No. 2 overall pick, who will need to be at his best when battling Foles for the starting job.

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2020 NFL Draft: Ryan Pace won’t rule out drafting a QB in 2nd round

Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles will compete for the starting QB job. But perhaps they won’t be the only QBs being discussed in Chicago.

All eyes will be on the Chicago Bears’ quarterback competition between Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles during training camp. But perhaps they won’t be the only quarterbacks being discussed in Chicago.

General manager Ryan Pace told reporters during his pre-draft conference call that he wouldn’t rule out drafting a quarterback in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

As Pace sees it, he’s always looking to take the best player available. And if by chance the best player sitting there at pick 43 or 50 happens to be a quarterback, he’d certainly consider taking him.

Pace has lived by best-player-available mentality, as he should. But there a plethora of needs for this roster heading into the NFL Draft, among them cornerback, safety, offensive line and tight end. That’s also not to rule out wide receiver, running back, pass rusher, and yes, quarterback.

But when looking at the quarterbacks in this year’s draft class, there’s an expectation that some of these quarterbacks are going to go higher than many believe.

Guys like LSU’s Joe Burrow, Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa and Oregon’s Justin Herbert will be long gone before the second round rolls around. But there are some other prospects — among them Georgia’s Jake Fromm and Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts — that could fall to Chicago in the second round.

Then it becomes a matter of, are they the best player available on Pace’s board? Or what about other top prospects at defensive back, offensive line, receiver, etc.?

Ultimately, no one knows what Pace is going to do with his pair of second-rounders, although it’s been reported that the Bears could be looking to trade one — or both — of those second-round picks.

While it’s not likely that a top quarterback prospect falls to the Bears in the second round, that doesn’t mean Pace should ignore the quarterback position. Pace should look at drafting a developmental prospect in the later rounds, where guys like Washington State’s Anthony Gordon, Florida International’s James Morgan and Hawaii’s Cole McDonald should still be available.

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