On Friday night, Chicago Bears fans and media erupted in anger following a tweet from Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson. Watson tweeted that the Chicago Bears never talked to him leading up to the 2017 NFL Draft. Bears general manager Ryan Pace has faced severe scrutiny for focusing solely on quarterback Mitchell Trubisky and not doing more homework on other quarterbacks, including the Texans quarterback and Patrick Mahomes. Now, three years removed from the costly decision, it may be time for fans to let their anger go.
When the Bears drafted Trubisky, a good portion of fans and the media were taken back by the pick as many worried about his boom or bust potential. Watson was viewed as the fan favorite and the safest quarterback of the three drafted in the first round. Trubisky, Watson, and Mahomes’ careers have been tied to one another over their first three seasons in the league. The Chicago quarterback has faced the most criticism for his erratic and inconsistent play. Heading into the 2020 season, it is apparent that the Bears made the wrong selection, and by the actions of Pace this offseason, it appears he has realized that.
Pace has spent the majority of the offseason adding to the defense as much as possible. The general manager has also provided the coaching staff with a quarterback familiar with their system. His two biggest offseason moves have been the signing of outside linebacker Robert Quinn and trading for quarterback Nick Foles. The Foles trade is supposed to lead to competition at the quarterback spot for Trubisky. If Foles wins the starting job, it will all but bring an end to the former second overall pick’s career in Chicago.
Fans had the right to be upset with the Bears GM when the Trubisky pick was made, but to be upset now after three seasons is just unnecessary. Had the team drafted Watson back in 2017, there is no guarantee that he would be the quarterback he is today. of the three quarterbacks, Houston drafting the Clemson quarterback was the best situation for any of the three quarterbacks. Although a terrible general manager, Texans coach Bill O’Brien is one of the best offensive minds in football. He has a long history as a quarterbacks coach both at the collegiate and professional ranks. Watson has had arguably the best wide receiver in the NFL to throw to in DeAndre Hopkins the last three seasons. Hopkins has had over 1,110 receiving yards in five of his seven seasons with the Texans.
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Trubisky had the worst situation of the three quarterbacks as he came to a team that had a defensive-minded coach in John Fox paired with a questionable offensive coordinator in Dowell Loggains. Outside of running back Jordan Howard, Chicago lacked playmakers at the offensive skill positions. Furthermore, Trubisky was the one quarterback that needed to sit and learn during his rookie season but was rushed into being the starter by week five.
Now imagine if the roles had been reversed for the two quarterbacks, where would their careers be at currently. Although his rookie campaign was cut short due to a knee injury, Watson impressed in limited action passing for 19 touchdowns in just seven games. Now, if he was drafted by the Bears in 2017, it is highly unlikely he sees the same success throwing to receivers Joshua Bellamy, Markus Wheaton, and Tre McBride. No matter what happens in 2017, Bears fans still would have given Watson the benefit of the doubt and believed that he would be a top-tier quarterback.
If the changes made by Pace following the 2017 season remain the same, Watson probably leads the Bears to the playoffs both 2018 and 2019. The Texans made the playoffs in 2018 and were eliminated in the first round by the Indianapolis Colts 21-7. Watson did not have a great game as he threw for just one touchdown, his completion percentage was under 60, and he finished with a QB rating of 69.7. Last season, the Texans QB led the team to victory over the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round, but the team was eliminated by the Kansas City Chiefs the following week by a score of 51-31. Watson and the offense spotted the Texans to 24-0 lead but were unable to keep up with the potent Chiefs offense.
Bears fans all but have given up on Trubisky following his 2019 performance, but would they do the same for Watson if he and the team had been eliminated from the playoffs two straight years. There is a high probability that fans would still be frustrated at Pace for taking the wrong quarterback unless it was Mahomes. Instead of facing questions regarding his playing ability, Watson would face questions on whether he can get the team to a Super Bowl. Furthermore, due to his achievements in college, Bears fans would be more critical of the Watson when it comes to winning playoff games, and outperforming Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
The grudge that Bears fans hold against Pace for not doing more research on Watson is justified, but it needs to be let go. There is no point in dwelling on something that took place three years ago and was rightly criticized then. Pace’s offseason moves demonstrated that he has moved on and is focused on winning now to help overcome his crucial mistake. Fans need to do the same as if the team had drafted Watson, probably, many would still be upset at the team for not taking the right quarterback.
