Who doesn’t love a good ole power rankings list? Yeah, that’s what I thought. So without further ado, here are the top three back-ups for Mitchell Trubisky heading into next year.
1. Marcus Mariota
Similar to Mitchell Trubisky, Marcus Mariota is a former first round pick and has had his own share of ups and downs throughout his NFL career. At the age of 26, Mariota is still relatively young and although Tennessee is heading in a different direction, a team is bound to give him a second chance. Will that team be the Bears? At this point, no one outside Halas Hall truly knows the direction the team will go when it comes to adding to the QB room. That said, Mariota would be an ideal fit in Nagy’s system and in my opinion he’d offer the best competition for Mitchell Trubisky heading into next year.
Career stats:
62 CMP% | 13,207 YDS |76 TD | 44 INT | 89.6 Rating | 63 Games
Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
Best season:
2016: 61.2 CMP% | 3,426 YDS | 26 TD | 9 INT | 95.6 Rating | 15 Games
Worst season:
2019: Benched
2. Josh Rosen
Throwing Josh Rosen on this list, let alone in the number two spot, won’t sit well with many people. And trust me I understand why. Rosen was selected with the 10th overall pick by the Arizona Cardinals in 2018. Since being drafted, he hasn’t done a whole lot. Arizona moved on from him after just one season where we saw the rookie QB sacked a total of 45 times. No, that wasn’t a typo.
He was then traded to Miami and after just a few games he found himself being benched for notable veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick. It’s no secret that Rosen has started his career in two of the NFL’s worst situations. Taking all this into consideration, I do believe at just 23 years old, Rosen still has plenty of upside. We are yet to see what the former first round pick can do with an adequate roster around him. Miami’s asking price won’t be high so if the Bears can snag him for a 5th or 6th round pick, why not? And who knows, with more time, Rosen may even turn out to be a diamond in the ruff.
Career stats:
54.8 CMP % | 2,845 YDS | 12 TD | 19 INT | 63.5 Rating | 20 Games
Best season:
*N/A
Worst season:
*N/A
*I won’t include his best or worst years as his career is still to short to make those judgements.
3. Andy Dalton
Andy Dalton seems to be the overwhelming favorite to land with the Bears this off-season. And even though some fans/analysts seem to love this addition, I am somewhat on the fence. The 32 year-old gunslinger is coming off perhaps his worst season in the NFL and lacks the athleticism that I believe is needed for the QB spot in 2020. Dalton’s accuracy also took a huge dip as he completed just 59.5% of his passes in 2019. To add some perspective, Trubisky finished last season at 63.2%. The grass isn’t always greener on the other side! However, we can’t overlook what a Dalton addition would bring to this Bears team. He would add the veteran presence the team is looking for and be a great asset inside the Bears QB room. If the Bears were getting prime Andy Dalton, this would be an entirely different paragraph. Unfortunately, I think that chapter in Dalton’s career has come to a close.
Career stats:
62 CMP% | 31,594 YDS | 204 TD | 118 INT | 87.5 Rating | 133 Games
Best season:
2013: 61.9 CMP% | 4,293 YDS | 33 TD | 20 INT | 88.8 Rating | 16 Games
Worst season:
2019: 59.5 CMP% | 3,494 YDS | 16 TD | 14 INT | 78.3 Rating | 13 Games
Honorable mentions:
Alex Smith – He’d be atop this list, if his health wasn’t still a concern.
Nick Foles – His contract is the main reason he didn’t crack the top 3.
Case Keenum – Never flashy, but a solid back-up nonetheless.
