Do the Chicago Bears have to start thinking about moving on from Mitch Trubisky? No. It’s a bit too soon for that. However, facts are facts. His performance on Thursday night against Green Bay evoked bad memories. It was like fans were watching him during his rookie season. The inability to see the field. No rhythm. Locking onto to just one receiver. Bad decision-making. People had really hoped he’d move past this. Instead it’s more of the same.
The fact is there is little the team can do for the time being. He’s the guy and the Bears are in no position to seek a replacement. Chase Daniel? Forget it. They don’t have the ammunition to make any sort of trade. The best choice for them is to continue working to help him improve and hope he does. Still, it’s hard not to feel discouraged. Trubisky is in the third year of his NFL career. There were signs of progress in 2018. Now it feels like he’s back to square one.
Would GM Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy dare consider making a change in 2020? Anything is possible. However, they may be reluctant to abandon ship so fast. Like it or not, Trubisky is still young. There is time to salvage him. The question is what else can they do? Sometimes in a situation like this, when a starter is underperforming, it’s not so much being benched that wakes him up but the threat of being benched.
What Mitch Trubisky may need is competition
Pace always liked to say that one thing he values above most is creating competition on the roster. He feels this serves the team best because it forces players to work harder to win and keep their spots on the roster. This typically shows up on the field.
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“We need to create better competition throughout our roster.”
He’s enacted this at every single position on the Bears roster. All except one. That being quarterback. Trubisky never had to truly face the prospect of not being the starter. Everyone knew Mike Glennon was a holdover in 2017. Then last year the Bears signed Daniel and Tyler Bray. They weren’t added to push Trubisky. They were added to educate him on Nagy’s offense. That’s it. Educate and back him up. Nothing more.
Chicago has done everything they can to make him comfortable within the system. While there have been some positives, the inconsistency continues. So maybe it’s time to switch gears. If Trubisky won’t respond to the carrot, maybe he’ respond to the stick. Perhaps the Bears should consider adding some competition next offseason. History does show this strategy works.
Remember Erik Kramer?
He was slated to be the starter in 1994 but got injured early in the year. Backup Steve Walsh came in and played well, leading the Bears to the playoffs. The next year both were put into a competition for the starting job. Kramer won. He knew though that his hold on it was tenuous. How did he respond? By having the best single-passing season in team history with 3,838 yards, 29 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.
Or how about Jim McMahon? He was injured for stretches of 1983 and threw more interceptions (13) than touchdowns (12). The next year the Bears added veteran Steve Fuller as a backup. McMahon started out 1984 hot with eight touchdowns and two interceptions. However, he got hurt against. This forced Fuller into the lineup who proceeded to help the team reach the NFC championship game. McMahon responded in 1985 with the most passing yards and touchdowns of his career and won the Super Bowl.
Believe it or not, Trubisky has already endured something similar.
If people think this tactic wouldn’t work on Trubisky, think again. Back during his time at North Carolina, the young quarterback was relegated to the bench for his freshman and sophomore years. He really felt he had a chance to start in 2015 but was held back in favor of veteran Marquise Williams. While he hated being on the sideline, it forced him to work harder.
It showed when he got on the field. Between that season and 2016, he threw 36 touchdowns to just six interceptions. Leading up to the draft Trubisky admitted on several occasions how close he came to asking for a transfer out of school because he couldn’t play. That’s how much of a competitor he is. He embraces a challenge whenever it’s in front of him. This may be the key to unlocking the missing link to his full potential.
So how would they go about doing this?
There are two probable paths the Bears could take here. A high draft choice is likely not going to happen. However, a mid-round selection could be in the cards. Perhaps a 4th round choice. Somebody who is affordable, fits the system, and has upside. Chicago currently doesn’t have such a pick but that could easily be rectified with a draft trade if they wish. The other route would be free agency.
There might be two names available in 2020 who are perfect for what the Bears would want. Marcus Mariota and Teddy Bridgewater. Both are former 1st round picks who are still relatively young. They’ve had success in the past and would fit well within the Nagy offense. Mariota has won a playoff game. Bridgewater went to a Pro Bowl. It’s likely Mitch would not be overly comfortable looking over his shoulder at them.
These next 15 games will set the stage for what follows next offseason. Either the Bears will continue to build around Trubisky, or they may look to light a fire under him.
