Most of the Chicago Bears offensive players didn’t know Mitch Trubisky until he arrived in 2017 as the team’s 2nd overall draft pick. However, one notable name has known the young quarterback for a lot longer than that. Rookie defensive end Jalen Dalton gained notable status recently when he got into a fight with starting guard Kyle Long. An incident that saw his helmet get ripped off.
He also made a nice play in the preseason opener that saw him get a pressure and a hit on the quarterback. Something other more notable edge rushers like Kylie Fitts, Mathieu Betts, and Chuck Harris failed to accomplish. Still, given the depth the Bears have in their front seven it’s a bit of a surprise that Dalton would choose to sign with Chicago anyway.
It turns out he had reasons for it.
One of them is their quarterback. Dalton went to North Carolina and was a teammate of Trubisky’s in 2015 and 2016. He got a first-hand account of what the young quarterback was about. What drove him and why, in his mind, he’s destined for big things in the near future. He told Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic as much.
“I just remember being in practice just seeing how he worked and being amazed,” Dalton said.
When Trubisky took over in 2016, Dalton said the quarterback was “unbelievable.” The past two seasons, in between Sunday meetings, Dalton said he and his North Carolina teammates would try to keep tabs on Trubisky and watch Bears games…
“He’s still that top player,” Dalton said. “He’s still that game-changer. Just seeing him on this level and how he’s stepped up his game and made improvements but always still gonna be that big-time player. It’s nice to see him up here, starting quarterback of an NFL team, that’s the dream right there. It’s nice to see him make those strides.”
Mitch Trubisky has the confidence of his teammates and coaches
Rest assured the media, both local and national remain lukewarm on Trubisky. They feel his ongoing string of practices with occasional interceptions is indicative of a young passer who hasn’t progressed much since last season. This despite assurances from head coach Matt Nagy that such things aren’t a big deal. They are more due to instruction for Trubisky to take more risks in practice and the fact they’re going against the best defense in football.
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One person who doesn’t seem perturbed by all the buzz is Trubisky himself. He’s remained calm and consistent in his approach to every practice. Teammates continue to insist he’s made notable strides and he’s hit his fair share of pretty passes amidst this obsession with all of his “mistakes.” As long as his teammates and coaches remain behind him, he feels he has nothing to worry about and plans to be the “point guard” of the offense.
Distribute the ball to the playmakers.
