Let the quarterback competition begin!
The Chicago Bears finally made their move at quarterback this offseason, trading for former Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Nick Foles. The Bears traded away a fourth-round draft pick in exchange for the restructuring of Foles’ contract.
While Foles’ arrival doesn’t signal an immediate end to the Mitchell Trubisky era, it does put the fourth-year quarterback on notice. Chicago got the legitimate quarterback competition it was hoping for between Trubisky and Foles.
As for who wins? That remains to be seen. But let’s take a look at why Trubisky or Foles could win the starting job.
Why Trubisky wins the job
There’s no way the Bears were going to hand the starting job to Trubisky this season, not after the disaster that was his 2019 campaign. And they shouldn’t. While the Bears have expressed their faith in Trubisky, they’ve also shown that their faith isn’t as strong as they’d like people to believe.
In bringing in someone like Foles, it not only serves as a great mentor to Trubisky, but also a great competitor. Someone that will challenge Trubisky to bring his best, but also someone that can replace Trubisky should his struggles continue.
There are some that believe that Foles already has the starting job locked up, but I’m not convinced. Foles has made a career as a backup that swoops in to save the day. As for his career as a starter, it’s not as impressive. (For what it’s worth, Foles did lose his starting job to sixth-round rookie Gardner Minshew last season.)
While everyone has been piling on Trubisky for his horrid performance last season, he was far from the only problem on Chicago’s bottom-of-the-league offense. The Bears had no running game, their offensive line was suspect, the tight ends were virtually non-existent (until they were on injured reserve) and even receivers not named Allen Robinson could’ve been better.
Let us not forgot the onus for the offense’s struggles fall on everyone, including playcaller Matt Nagy. Sure, Trubisky was a big part of that. But not the only one. Not to mention he was playing through a left shoulder injury that took away arguably his most dangerous skill: his mobility.
Not excuses, just facts.
Trubisky’s earned one last chance to earn the starting job. The hope is that this competition will light a fire under him. Let’s see what he does.
Why Foles wins the job
Foles isn’t necessarily at a disadvantage here when it comes to operating Matt Nagy’s offense. Considering Foles worked with Nagy in Kansas City and Philadelphia, he’s familiar with the Andy Reid offense, which means there really shouldn’t be a learning curve for him.
There’s a reason the Bears brought Foles to Chicago. His familiarity with Nagy’s offense, as well as his history with new offensive coordinator Bill Lazor and new quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo. Nagy knows Foles can run this offense. Considering the Bears’ dominant defense, the offense just needs to be executed effectively for Chicago to make a playoff run.
While many say Foles has only proven to be a solid quarterback coming off the bench, look no further than his 2017 season with the Eagles. Sure, Foles came in off the bench in relief of an injured Carson Wentz. But what Foles was able to accomplish in the 2017 postseason — 73.6 completion percentage, 6-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio and a Super Bowl MVP — should not go unrecognized.
Sure, Foles isn’t the sexy pick here. But he’s a logical one. Considering the unknown impacts of the coronavirus on the upcoming season practice-wise, Foles is already prepared to run this offense. The only real concern is developing rapport with the skill position players.
Keep in mind, that offense that Foles led in 2017 and also 2018, when he replaced Wentz again, is similar to the offense the Bears run. Who’s to say Foles won’t find similar success in Chicago? That is, if he wins the job. Or, who knows, maybe he ends up relieving Trubisky as he does best.
What do you think, Bears fans? Who wins the starting job – Trubisky or Foles?
VOTE!
