When Nick Foles was elevated to the starting job in Atlanta, everybody knew what it meant. Head coach Matt Nagy had reached the end of his rope with Mitch Trubisky. He’d given the young quarterback plenty of time to show any sort of progress in his offensive system. After such a promising start in 2018, things just never seemed to coalesce.
Now the Chicago Bears feel like Foles’ team and it’s not even up for debate. The calls for Trubisky have gradually faded. Especially after such a huge win against Tampa Bay on Thursday night last week. A game that felt like a heavyweight fight. Something the Bears weren’t prone to winning when their former #2 overall pick was under center.
This inevitably led to the next question. What do the Bears do with Trubisky now? He is the backup for the time being. Yet some people wonder if the team may wish to wash their hands of him once and for all. Or perhaps the quarterback himself wants out. In such an instance, a trade would certainly come into the discussion.
Mitch Trubisky still has value in the eyes of teams
Some people will laugh at such an idea. Why would anybody trade for Trubisky? The answer isn’t hard to see. He’s only 26-years old, is plenty talented, and should come cheap both in terms of dollar amount and draft pick compensation. Certain coaches around the league may feel they can do a much better job with him than Nagy has.
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That or they’re desperately in search of better depth options.
SM has been informed that Trubisky, for his part, has requested a trade. Three teams have inquired about such an idea to Chicago. So far the Bears haven’t engaged in any sort of negotiations. Why? The most obvious explanation is they fear Foles’ health history. The 31-year old veteran has never started more than 11 games in a season. Often due to injury setbacks.
There is a real chance he could miss games in the future. Especially behind an offensive line that has struggled in pass protection lately. Keeping Trubisky in their back pocket in case of an emergency makes far more sense than trading him.
Could that change? Maybe if the offer is right
Of course the NFL is a business and almost any player is available for the right price. The Bears would prefer to keep Mitch Trubisky around, but that could change if another team makes a strong enough offer. The trade deadline is October 29th this year. That sits two weeks away. Everybody knows that minds can change fast when time is running out.
Do any teams make sense? Here are a few worth watching.
Dallas Cowboys – Dak Prescott suffered a brutal ankle injury that ended his season. Dallas had wisely signed Andy Dalton in the offseason as a backup but the depth behind him is a big problem now. Don’t forget the Cowboys offensive line is marred by injuries. A more mobile quarterback like Trubisky would seem appealing if Dalton got hurt too.
San Francisco 49ers – Jimmy Garoppolo has struggled to stay healthy and it appears head coach Kyle Shanahan might be getting frustrated with him. Nick Mullens and C.J. Beathard haven’t been able to pull the nose up for the defending NFC champs. Trubisky has the sort of mobility that would fit that play action, bootleg scheme perfectly.
New England Patriots – Bill Belichick got a look at what life is without Cam Newton and probably didn’t care for it. Neither Brian Hoyer nor Jarret Stidham looked up to the task. Trubisky has more talent than both and a similar skill set to Newton. That means he’d be able to run a lot of the same offense.