The Chicago Bears certainly made a splash with their newest quarterback addition. Only, it wasn’t exactly the splash many fans were hoping for.
Chicago traded a fourth-round pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars for veteran quarterback Nick Foles, and there was a mixed reaction from around the NFL landscape.
While Foles provides an immediate upgrade at the quarterback position, it wasn’t exactly the flashy signing people were expecting. Especially when Cam Newton was still available.
But this could certainly be looked at as a step in the right direction. Foles does provide the competition general manager Ryan Pace was seeking for Mitchell Trubisky. But whether or not Foles will win the job remains to be seen.
Bringing in Foles could be looked at two ways: 1) He’s been brought in to give Trubisky a chance to really earn the job, and if not, serve as a solid replacement; 2) He’s been brought in to replace Trubisky and serve as the bridge between him and the next quarterback Chicago brings in.
Having a veteran leader like Foles, a Super Bowl MVP, only serves to benefit this team — whether that’s Trubisky or this offense as a whole.
While there are some that are convinced Foles has already been anointed the starter, it’s too soon to make that call. Keep in mind, Foles lost his starting job to sixth-round rookie Gardner Minshew last season.
But it is clear that Trubisky is being put on notice that, unlike last season, they won’t hesitate to bench him for Foles, should Trubisky win the job and continue to struggle.
Whether this Foles trade winds up working out for the Bears remains to be seen. Perhaps the competition really will push Trubisky. Maybe Foles will swoop in and provide adequate quarterback play and let the Bears defense do the rest. Or maybe this will be one big failure that costs Chicago a valuable draft pick. Time will tell.
Grade: C
What do you think, Bears fans? How would you grade Chicago’s trade for Foles?
