The greatest temptation is right in front of us.
After watching Deshaun Watson light up the Carolina Panthers’ second-string unit in the Houston Texans’ preseason opener, it’s only natural to wonder if the Bears would want to start Mitch Trubisky right away too. But while that desire isn’t out of the ordinary, the Bears are probably not going to do it.
Instead, the plan is to stick to their guns and stay the course with the development plan that GM Ryan Pace has put in place.
“We keep on talking about embracing the process of growth,” Pace told the Kap & Company Show on ESPN 1000. “That’s what Mitch is going through right now. We’re fortunate that we have an environment where we don’t have to force it or rush anything. All of the quarterbacks have been playing well. So it can naturally happen. He can naturally progress. It’s going to be fun to watch.”
The execution can be questioned, of course, because it’s fair to wonder whether the over-the-top investments in two relatively unproven quarterbacks (for one reason or another) was too much. However, the Bears front office deserves credit for putting safeguards in place to ensure a less-than-ready Trubisky isn’t unnecessarily thrust into action.
So we’re back where we started. Mike Glennon is the clear-cut starter, even if he has some red-flag-raising flaws. Mark Sanchez is Glennon’s backup, and that seems like a savvy move considering the path Sanchez has taken to arrive at this moment. And as far as first impressions go, so far so good.
I can’t help but wonder if this would still be the right call even if Trubisky was a bit more advanced than he is now. All things equal, would the Bears be better off putting a rookie quarterback in a position without an established go-to receiver and the best pass catcher in camp being a fellow rookie who played his college ball against Division II competition? It’s an unenviable situation to say the least.
The Bears need to continue to show restraint, and it looks like they’re going to do just that. It might not be what some want to hear, after all, some believe Trubisky could make a run at toppling Glennon as the starter by the time the regular season opens up, but it’s what’s probably going to happen.
So until the day comes when he makes his first start, Trubisky will have to bide his time on the bench, because the Bears won’t push for something that isn’t there.