Monday I was at the gym. (Humble brag.)
On the television set was a program called Get Up. As someone who never turns on ESPN for a non-sporting event, I had never heard of this program, nor did I recognize the individuals at the desk until I saw Mike Greenberg, the show’s host. The debate topic? Mitch Trubisky, of course. This segment was a response to the above video, Prince Amukamara’s passionate defense of the Bears quarterback. The debate was being framed as how the Bears should approach the position, not Trubisky specifically.
Being at the gym, I couldn’t hear any of it. But the panelists seemed fired up. Over the next three days we’ll take a big picture look at how the Bears will address the quarterback position this off-season.
Today: Possible approaches.
Tomorrow: Looking beyond the numbers.
Friday: DBB-endorsed path.
Truth is, the Bears do not have a lot of approach options at quarterback for 2020 because there are only three ways to attain a player in the league. Sign. Trade. Draft. And two aren’t very good for this coming season. Let’s take them in reverse order.
Draft.
Will the Bears use one of their picks on a quarterback? It’s possible. But this is not an offense rookies pick up quickly. The best quarterback in the league needed a year on the bench behind Alex Smith to get comfortable. (And has admitted how important that year was.) Trubisky is a smart kid and was the second pick of the draft and he’s still struggling with it.
Drafting a quarterback is a smart move for the future of this franchise. But the likelihood it’ll help this team win in 2020 is minimal.
Trade.
Would the Bears be willing to give up assets for a quarterback that wouldn’t be their guaranteed starter in 2020? I don’t think so. And there’s been no sense from inside the building that the Bears are prepared to hand an outsider the job, without competition.
Matt Nagy wants a veteran QB in the building. He wants someone to challenge, and I believe, beat Trubisky in an open competition. But Alex Smith isn’t ready yet. Nick Foles is extremely expensive and not that good. What the hell would Derek Carr cost to acquire?
Also, can the Bears afford to give up any of their early picks, which they’ll need to address OG, TE and the edge?
Could the Bears acquire a quarterback via trade? Sure. Is that player likely to dramatically impact 2020? No.
Sign.
And this is where we land. Easiest, safest option. It just costs cash and it’s easy to free up cash in the NFL.
Bring in Phil Rivers.
Bring in Andy Dalton.
Bring in Marcus Mariota.
And hope they have a big season with a championship-level defense. I believe all three of these individuals, including Mariota, would take the job from Trubisky. (That’s where I’m at with Mitch.)
If the Bears want to be successful at quarterback in 2020, the approach is simple: Mitch plays well, or someone they pay to compete with him does.
