The Future is Now for Trubisky and the Bears
When the Bears gave up three picks to move up one slot in the 2017 NFL Draft, they made a statement. Mitchell Trubisky was going to be their guy. The Chicago front office put all their cards on the table and made the type of move that can put everyone’s job in the organization at risk. With the future resting on this young man’s shoulders, many thought it would be wise to air on the side of caution with their young signal caller. Following another abysmal performance by Mike Glennon, Trubisky has finally been given the starting nod and rightfully so.
With the Jay Cutler era coming to an end in Chicago, the Bears went out and brought in Mike Glennon to bridge the gap until they could find their next franchise quarterback. Chicago shelled out a three-year, $45 million dollar deal to the veteran, a hefty price tag for someone with only 18 starts under their belt. It only added insult to injury when the Bears decided they had found their future signal caller in Trubisky, drafting him in the first round. However, it did provide the University of North Carolina alum with a clear cut mentor.
His performance in the preseason led many to believe that Trubisky should open as the outright starter. Often outplaying Glennon, Trubisky posted a final preseason stat line of 364 passing yards, a 67.9 completion percentage, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions.
While Trubisky was generally playing against backups, his vision and ability to work through multiple progressions demonstrated a football IQ beyond his years. A perfect example of this is a touchdown pass he tossed in the preseason against the Tennesee Titans. Trubisky was able to find an open Tanner Gentry coming off play-action and delivered a perfect ball down the sideline.
Mike Glennon was signed for sole purpose of being a game manager and keeping the Bears afloat while they groom their franchise quarterback. Unfortunately for Glennon, seven turnovers through the first four weeks of the season has the media and Bears fans alike calling for his head. The former Tampa Bay Buccaneer is not making it up in any other statistical categories, only averaging 208 yards per game with five touchdowns and a 76.9 quarterback rating. Glennon simply isn’t getting it done and given that it already feels like a lost season for the Bears, now is the time to throttle Trubisky’s development and let him learn through game action.
The Bears are very thin at wide receiver, so the supporting cast may not do Trubisky any favors. Cameron Meredith, the Bears number one receiver, tore his ACL in a gruesome preseason play. Kevin White, a former top-ten pick, has landed on the injured reserve for the third season in a row. A lack of reliability at receiver could be a major obstacle to rookie quarterback’s development, but luckily for the Bears, they have an excellent ground attack in Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen. Additionally, the Bears have an emerging offensive line, ranked fifth by Pro Football Focus entering the season. A depedence on the running game can do wonders in taking pressure off of Trubisky, allowing for easy check-downs and effective play-action fakes. Trubisky also has the benefit of a solid veteran at tight end in Zach Miller. Miller has been a reliable target during his six years in the NFL and could be an important security blanket to help the Bears’ rookie signal caller develop.
Generally a traditionalist, Head Coach John Fox has generally stuck to the wisdom that rookie quarterbacks are better served starting their careers on the bench. The rise of players like Russell Wilson, Cam Newton, Andrew Luck, and Dak Prescott have shown us that the opposite philosophy is practical as well. Some quarterbacks have the ability to be effective starters from the moment they enter they league and based on what we’ve seen, I believe Trubisky can be the next rookie success story. With his debut coming on Monday Night Football against the Minnesota Vikings, we finally get our first glimpse of Mitchell Trubisky’s potential rise to stardom.
