The Chicago Bears kickstarted their quarterback competition with the addition of veteran Nick Foles, who will battle it out with Mitchell Trubisky for the starting job.
There’s a reason the Bears brought Foles to Chicago, including his experience in an Andy Reid offense and his history with some of the Bears’ offensive coaches.
Chicago traded a fourth-round pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars for Foles, where they addressed a quarterback need that’s loomed all offseason. Whether Foles ends up starting remains to be seen, but things will certainly be interesting at training camp this year.
Let’s get to know the newest Bears quarterback:
1. Foles has history with Bears coaching staff
There’s a reason the Bears went after Foles. And a big reason has to do with his history with some of Chicago’s offensive coaching staff. Foles has played under Matt Nagy during his time with the Eagles and the Chiefs, which means that he has experiencing operating an Andy Reid offense.
Given some of the uncertainties with the coronavirus, that gives Foles an advantage as he’ll be familiar with a lot of what Nagy wants to do. Nagy knows that Foles can run this offense. So if Foles wins the starting job over Mitchell Trubisky, he’ll be ready.
But Foles also has history with two new members of Chicago’s offensive coaching staff. Offensive coordinator Bill Lazor served as Foles’ quarterbacks coach in Philadelphia in 2013. Also, quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo was his offensive coordinator last season in Jacksonville and his quarterbacks coach in Philadelphia in 2017.
2. Foles caught a TD pass from TE Trey Burton in SB LII
Everyone knows the Philly Special from Super Bowl LII — you could even argue that the Eagles borrowed it from the Bears. In the Philly Special, Foles caught a touchdown pass from current Bears tight end Trey Burton, who has become teammates with Foles once again.
3. Foles’ last win as starting QB came against Bears in wild card loss in 2018
Interestingly enough, Foles’ last win as a starting quarterback came in a game that most Bears fans would like to forget.
Foles struggled in his short stint with the Jaguars. He went 0-4 as a starter, including suffering a broken left collarbone in the season opener. But when Foles returned in mid-November, Jacksonville was blown out in their next two games before, in the third game, he was benched at halftime for sixth-round rookie Gardner Minshew.
So Foles’ last win as a starter came with the Eagles. And it was a win that, you could argue, should never have happened.
It appeared Trubisky had led the Bears on an incredible comeback drive that would seal the win with a manageable 43-yard field goal. But we all know how it ended. With the infamous double-doink.
4. Foles considered retiring before 2016 season
Believe it or not, there was a time when Foles had considered retiring before the prime of his career that saw incredible accomplishments like a Super Bowl championship and Super Bowl MVP.
Foles had one of the worst seasons of his career with the Rams in 2015. His 4-7 records over 11 starts didn’t exactly inspire confidence. Neither did his abysmal numbers. He completed 56.4% of his passes and threw seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
That next offseason, the Rams drafted Jared Goff with the No. 1 overall pick, and Foles asked to be released in July, where he contemplated retirement. Interestingly enough, Foles considered retirement due to a lingering elbow issue.
Should the Bears be concerned? It certainly didn’t stop Foles on his magical playoff run with the Eagles in 2017.
5. Foles has been impressive in the postseason
While Foles hasn’t established himself as a long-term starter, there’s no denying the success that he’s had in the postseason in recent history. During three postseasons with the Eagles, Foles has gone 4-2.
But perhaps none was more impressive than his performance in the 2017 postseason, where he led Philadelphia’s Cinderella story. After starter Carson Wentz suffered a torn ACL in December of that season, Foles stepped in and led the Eagles to their first Super Bowl championship.
When it came to the biggest stage in sports, Foles delivered a Super Bowl MVP performance in a 41-33 win over the Patriots. Foles threw for 373 yards, three touchdowns and also caught a touchdown from Trey Burton.
