All of Chicago is focused on their football team getting to the playoffs for the first time in seven years, sure. That’s obvious. In truth though many people are eagerly wondering something else. When will the Bears Mitch Trubisky debut take place? For the first time in 35 years the franchise has a top five quarterback on the roster. Excitement over that is at a level unseen in the city in a long time.
Now the inevitable wrestling match has followed. What is the best time, if any, to call his number and get him on the field? Pretty much everybody knows that nothing short of Mike Glennon going to the Pro Bowl will stop Trubisky from seeing the field at some point within the next calendar year. Right?
Well that’s a hard question to answer. Opinions are varied on whether a rookie quarterback should start right away or sit for a period of time. There is no perfect way to do it. So perhaps the best way to answer the question is by attesting how the best names in the business have done it over the past decade plus.
Gauging the Bears Mitch Trubisky debut on championship QBs
- Russell Wilson: Week 1 of first season
- Peyton Manning: Week 1 of first season
- Joe Flacco: Week 1 of first season
- Ben Roethlisberger: Week 3 of first season
- Trent Dilfer: Week 8 of first season
- Eli Manning: Week 11 of first season
- Drew Brees: Week 1 of second season
- Tom Brady: Week 3 of second season
- Brad Johnson: Week 2 of third season
- Aaron Rodgers: Week 1 of fourth season
Breaking this list down, it paints a clear enough picture. Six of the 10 names listed got onto the field at some point during their first season. Another two did so early in their second. Very few lasted into a third or fourth. Rodgers is the wrinkle of course. A first round pick who had to sit on the bench for three years before getting his chance. Of course that was because Brett Favre was in front of him.
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Glennon, for all his professionalism, is no Favre. So the odds seem to favor two scenarios if Rodgers is removed from the list. Either Trubisky will claim the job early as a rookie, either due to winning a competition or Glennon suffering an injury. Or the Bears hold him out as many expect and choose to debut him early in year two after some time spent seasoning on the bench. That is the normal window to expect.
If nothing else that list proves one thing. It really doesn’t seem to matter when a quarterback debuts. Those destined to be good in the NFL tend to find their way to the field sooner or later. Trubisky is talented and a competitor. He’s also used to being second man on the totem pole. He knows how to put in the work to get himself ready. Whether he’s only started 13 college games or not, smart money says not to bet against him getting on the field sooner than later.
