The fastest way to get Chicago Bears fans riled up is to attack quarterback Mitch Trubisky, especially if that attack suggests he doesn’t possess the kind of traits required from a franchise quarterback.
And, uh, that’s kind of what the Sporting News did in their recent ranking of all 32 quarterbacks.
Trubisky was placed in the league’s third-tier of passers, coming in at No. 15 overall.
No. 15: Mitch Trubisky, Bears
Trubisky felt the free-wheeling groove in Matt Nagy’s offense last season, and he compensated for the passing lumps he took with fearless running and smart, short-to-intermediate distributing to an array of targets. For Chicago to go further in the playoffs, its QB will need to show more confidence.
Trubisky came in just behind Dak Prescott (Cowboys) and two spots behind fellow 2017 NFL draft classmate, Deshaun Watson (Texans).
In all fairness to these rankings, Trubisky didn’t play like an elite quarterback in 2018. He certainly had his flashes of brilliance, but like any young passer playing in a new offense, consistency was lacking at times.
And that, ultimately, will be the defining issue for this team in 2019. Trubisky’s consistency. He doesn’t need more confidence; he’s about as confident of a quarterback as there is considering some of the risks he takes both as a passer and a runner. Instead, it’s about doing the little things right more often.
In Year 2 with Matt Nagy, those improvements should come, as will a much higher placement in next year’s quarterback rankings.
