The Mitch Trubisky injury on Sunday against the Vikings was hard to watch. Not just because it looked really painful, but also because of the bad timing. It felt like Trubisky was finally getting his feet under him and starting to play better. Now he’s hurt again. This time dealing with a left shoulder injury of as yet unknown severity. Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy said after the game that he hasn’t gotten an update as yet.
Trubisky did return to the sideline after an extended stay in the locker room. His arm was in a sling. Chase Daniel finished the game in his stead and the Bears improved to 3-1 on the season. The question moving forward is how much time Trubisky could miss. David Chao, a former NFL doctor, saw video of the injury and wrote about it for the San Diego Union Tribune. Based on his experience, the quarterback is likely dealing with a torn labrum.
The bad news? It will require surgery. The good news? He should be able to play with the injury the rest of the year and have it repaired in the offseason.
By video, he suffered a dislocated left shoulder. It appears the shoulder may have self-reduced as he was helped up while avoiding use of the left arm
He was taken into the blue medical tent and then walked into the locker room for X-rays which should be negative.
The bone should be intact, but the labrum is likely torn.
Typically, this means surgery. But since it is Trubisky’s non-throwing shoulder, surgery can wait. He can play with a shoulder strap/harness. If it were his throwing shoulder his season would be done. (Blaine Gabbert similarly dislocated his non-throwing shoulder and was ultimately put on injured reserve by the Buccaneers.)
Mitch Trubisky injury may push beyond the bye
If Chao is correct, this technically means Trubisky could return in a harness for the Bears’ trip to London against the Oakland Raiders. However, knowing Nagy and how he operates, the Bears may decide to simply shelve the quarterback next week and then he’ll have the bye after that. That gives him two full weeks to at least get himself in a better situation where he can deal with the pain. Until then the Bears must trust Daniel to keep the train on the tracks.
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Oakland just got done beating the Colts in Indianapolis, so they won’t be a pushover. At the same time, their defense is among the lesser units in the NFL. Daniel should be able to handle things provided the Bears defense continues to dominate like they have all season. Hopefully, Trubisky can find a way to return and play well. As for his future beyond that? Only the team brass hold the answers.
