NEWSLETTER
Mitch Trubisky aside, the Chicago Bears entered this offseason with two open quarterback spots on the depth chart. They filled one of those vacancies with the trade for Nick Foles, but the other slot remains open.
Bleacher Report draftnik Matt Miller seems to have an idea on how to address that final spot, identifying Oklahoma QB Jalen Hurts as a dream fit for the Bears on draft weekend.
Check out this snippet from his recent podcast:
Jalen Hurts (@JalenHurts) in Matt Nagy's offense is my dream fit for him. #Bears #BearDown pic.twitter.com/wLIw7R7kh8
— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) March 24, 2020
I’ve already admitted to having a prospect crush on Hurts, but there are obvious reasons why a team like the Bears should like him, too. Hurts was a battle-tested and productive standout at the highest levels of collegiate competition (Alabama and Oklahoma) and has shown the type of leadership skills front office types tend to dig.
But one thing that stood out beyond the obvious was what Hurts could do for Bears Head Coach Matt Nagy:
“I feel like Matt Nagy, he almost needs someone to re-charge him, someone to light a fire under this ass. When you see the ability of Jalen Hurts, as a runner and a thrower, your imagination is going to go into overdrive. That creativity that we saw in Kansas City is going to come back, and you may finally get the best out of the weapons in Chicago.”
There is no denying the Bears’ offense in 2019 didn’t have the same punch it did in 2018. And while I don’t want to re-litigate everything that went wrong last year, one aspect of the offense’s regression was due to the limitations Nagy put on himself (and thus, his playmakers) as a play-caller. Perhaps Miller is onto something when he expresses his belief that bringing a fresh quarterback prospect with Hurts’ skills would re-ignite Nagy’s creativity. I can’t imagine it would make things worse.
To be clear, Hurts isn’t a perfect prospect. If he was, he would be a slam-dunk first-round pick who wouldn’t even be in the discussion for the Bears as a middle-round selection. Further, Miller’s exercise didn’t seek out the perfect prospect. Instead, it was all about finding the perfect player-team fit. Miller seems to have done that with Hurts and the Bears. And since this isn’t the first time he has made the connection between the two, Hurts is someone to keep in mind as a draft-worthy prospect when Chicago goes on the clock on draft weekend.
