Mitch Trubisky's first three seasons in the NFL haven't been great. His rookie year was a typical roller coaster ride of good and bad that's expected from a first-year player. He improved in 2018, at least it seemed, during the Bears' 12-4 NFC North championship season, but his massive regression in 2019 has pundits questioning whether he'll ever become the kind of quarterback Chicago needs to legitimately contend for a Super Bowl.
How bad was Trubisky last season? According to NFL.com's latest QB index, which ranked every quarterback who started at least one game in 2019, Trubisky checked-in at 30th.
I want Trubisky to be successful. I really do. But I think after the season we just saw from the former No. 2 overall pick, the best and most practical way for this franchise to extract more out of that position is to add some real competition this offseason. I guarantee Bears fans would much rather GM Ryan Pace backtrack than continue doubling down on a mistake.
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The worst thing that could've happened to Trubisky and the Bears in 2019 happened; Patrick Mahomes, the quarterback who Pace passed on in the 2017 NFL draft, won the Super Bowl for the Chiefs and was named the game's MVP.
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Mahomes' success has increased the pressure on Chicago's front office to make sure it has the Bears' quarterback situation under control. And that could mean another season of Trubisky, which is fine as long as he develops into a legitimate NFL playmaker. If, however, Trubisky's play is closer to Matt Moore than Mahomes, there will be a bunch of help wanted signs at Halas Hall in 2020.
The more logical strategy is for Pace to add veteran competition for the starting job via free agency, and fortunately for the Bears, this year's free-agent market will have an abundance of quality starters to choose from.
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No one could've predicted such a fall for Trubisky after his promising 2018 season. His ranking among the NFL's worst starters is the kind of positional weakness that can doom a franchise, even one with as much talent as the Bears.
Maybe he storms back in 2020 and has the kind of Ryan Tannehill-season some Bears fans think can only be had by a veteran searching for a reboot. Maybe he'll find comfort in being a game-manager who, after an offseason studying coverages, is able to turn field goals into touchdowns next year. And if either of those scenarios become reality, Pace can be at peace with his decision (kind of) to draft him over Mahomes and Deshaun Watson.
But ask yourself this: How confident are you in Trubisky? Do you believe in him? Has he given you enough reasons to feel like he can lead this team to a championship? The answers seem obvious; to everyone outside Halas Hall, at least.
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