NEWSLETTER
Three weeks from now, the Chicago Bears will go on the clock with their first of seven picks in the 2020 NFL Draft. But according to Bleacher Report draft guru Matt Miller, they won’t be using any of those picks on a prospect at the most important position in the game.
In his latest scouting notebook, Miller hears that Chicago is NOT expected to draft a quarterback this season, while a rival executive chimes in to add that the Bears are “going to do all they can without a first-round pick to make (Mitchell) Trubisky look good and save their jobs.”
Okay, on the surface: sure. It’s at least believable the Bears are not going to draft a quarterback in the 2020 Draft. Silly – considering the general inconsistencies and lack of an obvious long-term solution at the position – but believable. After all, the Bears have drafted exactly one (1) quarterback in the 32 picks GM Ryan Pace has made since he arrived in 2015, and he has a dearth of picks for the second year in a row.
But the Bears aren’t going to draft a quarterback specifically because of Trubisky? Nah, no. That’s a tough one to wrap my mind around.
For one, Trubisky is already in an open battle with Nick Foles for QB1 duties, though to be fair to Miller (and the chatty rival executive), that news only officially broke this morning. But if that competition doesn’t properly reveal the Bears’ general lack of long-term faith in Trubisky, this should:
Ryan Pace said the #Bears will not comment on Mitch Trubisky’s fifth-year option. He says decision will be made by May. But at this point, I think we’d all be surprised if it gets picked up.
— Adam Jahns (@adamjahns) April 3, 2020
The Bears are not willing to commit to Trubisky’s fifth-year option. There’s not much more you need to know, with respect to not drafting a QB solely because of No. 10.
But that’s not the end of this thread. Because even if can count on Trubisky/Foles combining to deliver a passable offense in 2020, the Bears should still be open to drafting a quarterback right now. As we’ve discussed, Trubisky’s fifth year option is not likely getting picked up, which leaves at least one huge hole on the depth chart as soon as 2021. Meanwhile, the contract re-structure for Foles allows him to walk after just one season. If he manages to win the quarterback competition and kicks butt this season, he might want to void the remaining years of his deal for another shot at free agency. That is not at all hard to imagine, particularly with some interesting offensive weapons around him in Chicago.
So basically, it’s entirely possible that the Bears QB room has even more needs next offseason than it did at the start of this one. Which also means, yeah … I’d say drafting a development QB is probably a good idea. I won’t close the door on the picks just not lining up – Pace would be unwise to force a pick out of desperation – but if the opportunity is there (and I think it will be for at least one of their picks in the second round), they should absolutely be open to drafting a quarterback. Period.
Michael Cerami contributed to this post.
