Tag: Bears quarterbacks

Will Caleb Williams be the one to erase the Bears’ 75-year quarterback curse?

Caleb Williams will have a lot of help in his quest to break the Chicago Bears’ 75-year Quarterback Curse.

“It pisses me off a little bit, to be honest with you. We were hired to break a cycle. The same thing when we were in Kansas City. Coach [Andy] Reid, all of us were brought there to break a cycle. And we did. And no one talks about those days anymore; it’s all about what they are right now.”

That’s what Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles said in March about his franchise’s historic quarterback drought. You can understand the sensitivity here — when your last great quarterback was Sid Luckman just after World War II, and you’re still riding on those fumes, it’s a bit embarrassing. Not that it’s Poles’ fault — he inherited Justin Fields when he became the GM in 2022, and the cycle-breaking he talked about with Andy Reid happened in 2017 when Poles was the Chiefs’ director of college scouting, and Kansas City took that Patrick Mahomes guy.

So now, there’s USC’s Caleb Williams, selected first overall to break that cycle. There isn’t much Williams can’t do on the field, and while he could stand to be a bit more regimented in the pocket, the explosive plays (he had 59 as a passer and 17 as a rusher for a USC offense that was not designed well) are singularly impressive.

Then, with the ninth overall pick, the Bears selected Washington’s Rome Odunze, who has the attributes to make that passing game much better on the target side. Odunze gives Williams that most valuable of receivers — the guy who’s open, even when he isn’t open.

Receiver D.J. Moore was highly productive in his first season with the Bears in 2023 as part of the trade with the Carolina Panthers that ultimately gave Chicago the Williams pick, and he’s the ideal go and post and corner receiver to scald cornerbacks deep in new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron’s system.

And then, there’s veteran Keenan Allen, acquired in a March trade as the Los Angeles Chargers were offloading players as part of their salary cap issues. Allen has never been known for his breakaway speed, but he’s still a near-peerless route runner, and he was good for 19 explosive plays last season… so this isn’t just an old guy standing on the field waiting for the ball to come to him so he can catch it and fall down.

Add in Cole Kmet as a more than serviceable tight end option, and let’s just say that if Caleb Williams ultimately adds his name to the Bears’ Quarterback List of Doom, it won’t be for lack of trying on Poles’ part. Perhaps this is where the Bears finally break that cycle.

Olin Kreutz says Bears QB Justin Fields should want out of Chicago

Olin Kreutz joined 670 The Score’s to share why Justin Fields should want out of Chicago and why the Bears should stick with Tyson Bagent.

The Chicago Bears are set to start undrafted rookie quarterback Tyson Bagent for a second week in a row when they take on the Los Angeles Chargers Sunday night due to Justin Fields’ thumb injury. Head coach Matt Eberflus made it clear that when Fields is healthy, he will return as the starting quarterback. But given how Bagent has looked and the type of offense the team put together for him during his first start, one former Bear and current analyst thinks Fields should start looking for new places to play while the team sticks with Bagent moving forward.

Olin Kreutz, the former Bears center and current NFL analyst, joined 670 The Score’s Parkins & Spiegel show on Friday for his weekly hit and shared that he believes the Bears coaching staff is unwilling to design an offense around Fields. For that reason, he thinks Fields should want to go elsewhere to a team that will use him in a more effective way and for the Bears to stick with Bagent going forward. Kreutz explains his reasoning:

The Bears have shown you that they’re not going to design an offense around Justin Fields. It’s not that any of us think Justin Fields can’t win in the NFL, that we don’t see his immense talent, that we don’t see the way he runs the ball, that we don’t think he’s a dynamic playmaker, it’s that the Bears are insisting they want a quarterback that can beat you from the pocket. The only thing that tells me that is the film.

The film tells me they insist on coach [Luke] Getsy, coach [Matt] Eberflus, Ryan Poles, they want a quarterback in the pocket, they don’t want these college concepts, they don’t want to run a of quarterback runs, they don’t want to run a lot of zone reads. So if they’re going to do that, if I’m Justin Fields, I want out of Chicago. I want to go somewhere where they use me the way I think I can help a team win, the way I think I can be elite.

I think they should stay with Bagent because that’s the kind of quarterback they want anyway.

Kreutz has seen his fair share of quarterbacks trying to run offenses that don’t fit their style, and he makes valid points. For much of the season, Fields and Getsy haven’t been able to work effectively together. Things looked to be improving overall before Fields’ injury in Week 6, but that was after three weeks of poor offensive play. Now Bagent comes in and operates the offense like Getsy and Eberflus wanted with positive results, abeit for one game.

There’s no denying Fields’ natural talents, as Kreutz says, and there have been periods of success during their year and a half together. But after 21 games in this offense, it feels like the two sides just aren’t a match and are destined for divorce at some point.

That being said, it’s highly unlikely the Bears will bench Fields for the rest of the season, and it would come as a complete shock to see him moved prior to the NFL trade deadline next week. He will make his return in the next week or two and look to show the organization he deserves to be in the long-term plans. The third-year quarterback has thrown for 1,201 yards with 11 touchdowns and six interceptions in six games, the bulk of his production coming in recent games. But Kretuz thinks he should want out and it’s hard to blame him.

Justin Fields plans on breaking the Bears’ 4,000 passing yards drought

The Bears have never had a quarterback throw for 4,000 yards. Justin Fields says he will become the first one to do it, beginning this year.

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If you’re a Chicago Bears fan, chances are you’re well aware of the team’s dubious history at the quarterback position. The Bears haven’t had a true franchise quarterback in over 50 years, no quarterback has ever thrown for 30 or more touchdowns, and no quarterback has ever eclipsed 4,000 yards passing.

That final stat has been burned into the brains of Bears fans seeing as they’re the only team that has yet to accomplish the feat, despite being the oldest franchise in the NFL. Bears quarterback Justin Fields knows the Bears have struggled in that area, but plans on finally ending that drought beginning this season.

Fields recently spoke with Bryant McFadden of CBS Sports’ All Things Covered podcast and was asked if he will finally be the player to eclipse 4,000 passing yards in a season for the Bears. The young quarterback didn’t mince words in his answer. “I will,” Fields said. “I plan on doing it this year, too.”

It’s a bold predication for Fields, not only because no quarterback before him has done it but because he has yet to even throw for 3,000 yards in a season. Last year, Fields played in 15 games and threw for 2,242 yards. He’s averaging 152.3 yards per game in two seasons and has yet to throw for more than 300 yards in a single game. But there’s reason for Fields and Bears fans to feel optimistic that this record will end soon.

The Bears upgraded their offense in a big way this offseason, adding wide receivers D.J. Moore and rookie Tyler Scott, as well as tight end Robert Tonyan, to upgrade their receiving options. They also drafted right tackle Darnell Wright early in the 2023 NFL Draft and signed veteran guard Nate Davis to fortify the offensive line. For the players returning from 2022, including Darnell Mooney, Chase Claypool, Cole Kmet, Braxton Jones, and Teven Jenkins, they all now have experience in the same system for the second year in a row and are ahead of the learning curve.

That includes Fields, who has said multiple times how being in the same system two years in a row helps him feel more comfortable at the quarterback position. He was learning a new scheme in 2022 while also throwing to starting wide receivers who would be benchwarmers anywhere else.

The stage is set for him to take a monumental step forward in Year 3. Perhaps that even includes a 4,000-yard season.

QB Nathan Peterman is re-signing with the Bears

Nathan Peterman is returning to the Chicago Bears, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

Chicago Bears fans haven’t seen the last of Nathan Peterman. The veteran quarterback is re-signing with the team, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

Peterman signed with the Bears last offseason as their third-string quarterback behind Justin Fields and Trevor Siemian after stints with the Buffalo Bills and Las Vegas Raiders. He was elevated to the backup role after Siemian suffered an oblique injury prior to his start against the New York Jets in Week 12. Siemian was placed on injured reserve shortly after.

Peterman appeared in three games for the Bears in 2022 and started the season finale against the Minnesota Vikings, where he completed 11-of-19 passes for 114 yards and a touchdown in a 29-13 loss that helped the Bears secure the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. For the season, Peterman threw for 139 yards with one touchdown and one interception with a quarterback rating of 68.6.

Now back with the Bears for a second season, Peterman once again will be team’s third-string option behind Fields and new backup P.J. Walker, who signed a two-year deal earlier in the month after spending the last few seasons with the Carolina Panthers.

Bears 2023 offseason preview: Where does Chicago stand at quarterback?

Our 2023 position reviews heading into the offseason begin with QB, where the Bears look to be set both at starter and backup.

The 2023 offseason is officially in full swing and the Chicago Bears are gearing up for what should be one of the busiest springs in recent memory.

Armed with $98.6 million in cap space, general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus will have plenty of opportunities to improve the team roster in free agency, while also needing to make key decisions on which players they should let walk.

Here at Bears Wire, we’re going position by position to break down where Chicago stands entering the 2023 offseason. First up is quarterback, where Justin Fields established himself as QB1 after his second season in the league.

Comparing Bears QBs Mitchell Trubisky and Jay Cutler through first 4 seasons

Now that Mitchell Trubisky has finished his fourth season as the Bears starter, it’s time to compare his first 4 seasons to Jay Cutler’s.

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After finishing his fourth regular season as the Chicago Bears starting quarterback, Mitchell Trubisky has done enough to bring his team to the playoffs. This will be Trubisky’s second playoff appearance in three seasons. That is something only three other quarterbacks have done in franchise history since 1970.

The three other quarterbacks to start a playoff game in multiple different seasons for the Bears were Jim McMahon (3), Mike Tomczak (2) and Rex Grossman (2).

The man who wasn’t on that list that many hoped would be was Jay Cutler. Cutler, who was under center for 102 games over eight seasons, only made the playoffs once. In fact, he only had a winning record in three of the eight seasons he was the Bears quarterback.

Things have changed with Trubisky under center. Though many have called for this to be his last season in Chicago, he’s already found more success under center than those who preceded him. So, how does Trubisky stack up against Cutler? Let’s go through both of their first four seasons with the team.

In 2009, the Bears made a franchise-changing trade to get Cutler as their signal-caller. Cutler, then 26, signed a five-year deal, worth $50.37 million.

During Cutler’s first four seasons, he started in 56 games, going 34-22 (.607). He threw 82 touchdowns, 64 interceptions for 12,292 yards and an 81.9 passer rating.

Cutler had a winning record in three of his first four seasons, along with one playoff berth. That lone playoff berth came in 2010, where he led the Bears to the NFC Championship.

In Trubisky’s first four seasons as the Bears quarterback, he is 29-21 (.580) as a starter, throwing for 64 touchdowns, 37 interceptions for 10,609 yards and an 87.2 passer rating.

Trubisky will start his second playoff game this Sunday against the Saints, giving him two playoff seasons in three years, which is more than Cutler did in his entire Bears career.

The disadvantage Trubisky has in this comparison is the fact that he ran a vanilla offense during his rookie season. At just 23, Trubisky was thrown into a wildfire with a rebuilding offense that little to no weapons. He also wasn’t throwing the ball much.

Outside of Trubisky’s rookie season, he’s had a winning record every season since. That’s three straight winning seasons for Trubisky, which is similar to what Cutler did from his second to the fourth season as the Bears quarterback.

In those winning seasons for both quarterbacks, Cutler went 27-13, throwing 55 touchdowns and 37 interceptions with an 84.3 passer rating. Trubisky, on the other hand, is 25-13, throwing 57 touchdowns and 30 interceptions with an 89.8 passer rating.

Not only is Trubisky statically better from Years 2-4, but he also has taken the Bears to the playoffs twice now. It’s fair to say Trubisky is underrated as a player.

The question now turns to, has Trubisky taken too much heat from the media and fans alike? The simple answer is yes. Trubisky has been great with fans, the media and has said all the right things. He’s outperformed Cutler since his rookie season, and it’s hard to make an argument where the team doesn’t extend him.

At the end of the day, the fans and media are missing the clean and obvious point. Trubisky is the better quarterback. He doesn’t turn the ball over as much as Cutler did, and he is by far a better leader.

No matter what happens in the playoffs, the Bears will be in a tough spot this offseason. The quarterback pool is very thin in free agency and they’re likely to miss the boat on some of the top-tier quarterback prospects.

So, the question becomes, has Trubisky played his final home game at Soldier Field? Or will he be their starting quarterback going into next season? The result on Sunday against the Saints could answer that question.

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All signs point to Mitchell Trubisky being the Bears’ starting QB in Week 12

Both Bears QBs Mitchell Trubisky and Nick Foles are nursing injuries. Although it appears that Trubisky is the healthier of the two.

Matt Nagy isn’t giving any early indication who will line up under center for the Chicago Bears next Sunday night against the Green Bay Packers.

While it’s certainly a slight of hand on Nagy’s part, it’s also precautionary. With both Mitchell Trubisky (shoulder) and Nick Foles (hip/glute) still nursing injuries, Nagy is waiting to see how both look as the week progresses.

Nagy told the media that the Bears “will get to Wednesday and see exactly where both these guys are at.” Although it appears that, at this point, Trubisky is the healthier of the two.

According to Adam Jahns, Trubisky has been throwing at Halas Hall and his right shoulder is improving following an injury back on Nov. 1, where he appeared for a single play against the New Orleans Saints.

Trubisky has missed the last two games with an injury that wasn’t as serious as initially believed. After Trubisky visited with a specialist in Los Angeles earlier this month, it was determined that he didn’t need surgery. The Bears didn’t believe the injury was worth placing Trubisky on injured reserve, which would’ve required him be out for a minimum of three weeks.

Trubisky was seen at the media portion of practice on Monday, where Foles wasn’t in attendance. That’s a good indication that it’ll likely be Trubisky under center against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night.

Matt Nagy told the media that the Bears “will get to Wednesday and see exactly where both these guys are at.” Although it appears that, at this point, Trubisky is the healthier of the two.

Even if both Trubisky and Foles are healthy, Nagy indicated that a switch at quarterback remains on the table, as the Bears are on a four-game losing streak in desperate search of a spark.

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Notre Dame in NFL: Chicago Bears bringing in former Notre Dame QB for workout

The Chicago Bears are bringing in a former Notre Dame quarterback to possibly try and solve their massive issues at the position. Details:

The Chicago Bears have gone from the NFC North’s penthouse to laughing stock as their 5-1 start was erased in the last month as they’ve dropped four straight in falling to 5-5.

Starting quarterback to start the year Mitchell Trubisky was benched in favor of Nick Foles but with injuries to both, the Bears are indeed perhaps looking to bring in another quarterback to try and help solve their massive offensive issues.

Field Yates of ESPN reported on Tuesday that the Bears, who are on their bye week, will be bringing in former Notre Dame quarterback DeShone Kizer for a tryout.

Kizer was a second round draft pick of the Cleveland Browns in 2017 but struggled mightily as they lost all 15 of his starts that season.

Kizer was then traded to Green Bay where he backed up Aaron Rodgers in 2018 and played in three games.  He has not however played in any NFL games since despite spending 2019 as a member of the Raiders.

For his NFL career, Kizer has 11 touchdown passes and 24 interceptions.  Stay tuned to see if he’ll get the opportunity to try and turn around his professional career and the Bears offensive woes.

When he’s healthy, it’s time for Mitchell Trubisky to start for the Bears

The Chicago Bears have struggled since benching Mitchell Trubisky. When Trubisky is healthy, he needs to be named the starter.

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After three straight losses, it’s clear that the Chicago Bears have problems on offense. With Sunday’s 24-17 loss to the Tennessee Titans, the Bears fell to 5-4. Quarterback Nick Foles is officially 2-4 as a starter.

The Bears need to turn back to Mitchell Trubisky as soon as possible. Right now, Trubisky is out with a right shoulder injury, but he is week-to-week. If he can be ready for next week’s game against the Vikings, there’s no excuse not to start him over Foles.

The puzzling thing for me is, why bench Trubisky when he was 3-0? I understand that he wasn’t the reason why Chicago came from behind for Trubisky’s third win of the season, but he still was undefeated. That counts for something.

Overall, this offense has struggled without Trubisky as quarterback. For all of his faults, he still doesn’t turn the football over as much as Foles does. For all the mistakes people claim Trubisky has made, Foles makes them too but on a larger scale.

Even the numbers favor Trubisky. With him, the offense averaged 24.7 points and 368 total yards per game. With Foles, they have averaged 17.4 points and 276.2 total yards.

Matt Nagy has to reverse his decision. He has to make it known to the team that he made a mistake, because he is slowly losing the locker room with each loss this team faces. He also has to let Trubisky know he has faith in him. That’s a start to rebuilding that relationship and hopefully getting the Bears back into the playoff race.

Nagy is also losing the fan base. Here’s a sampling of the lack of faith fans have in him:

It’s interesting to see how things have turned out. This team was 5-1; now they will have their backs up against the wall. Something needs to change – and it has to start with benching Foles in favor of Trubisky.

And if that happens, Trubisky has to be the permanent starter. Foles has been everything but an upgrade.

With Mitchell Trubisky injured, Bears working out QBs Jake Rudock, Kyle Sloter

With Trubisky hurt and Bray the backup, the Bears decided to bring in some reinforcements at QB working out Jake Rudock and Kyle Sloter.

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: The Chicago Bears have some uncertainty at the quarterback position.

Back-up quarterback Mitchell Trubisky saw the field for one play against the New Orleans Saints, where he kept the ball on a read-option and picked up three yards. It also proved to be costly as Trubisky suffered an injury to his right throwing shoulder on the play.

NFL Network’s Mike Garofolo reported there’s concern that it’s a structural issue. But “the extent is unclear at this point,” although the injury is expected to keep Trubisky out for a few weeks.

“It’s unfortunate, and I know that he’s bummed out,” Bears coach Matt Nagy said.

With Trubisky injured, the Bears are down to just Tyler Bray as the back-up to starter Nick Foles, who has his own history of injuries and not surviving an entire season.

So the Bears decided to bring in some reinforcements, working out quarterbacks Jake Rudock and Kyle Sloter on Wednesday.

According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, the Bears tried to sign Rudock off the Detroit Lions’ practice squad back in 2016 following an injury to Jay Cutler. But Rudock decided to stay with the Lions.

Sloter previously worked out for the Bears back in August. Sloter, who joined the NFL in 2017 like Trubisky, has absolutely wowed in preseason, posting an 11-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio and averaging a 74% completion percentage and a 119.8 quarterback rating.

We’ll see if either has a strong enough workout to warrant signing to the practice squad as additional insurance.