The Chicago Bears quarterback competition isn’t just going to be THE story we’re watching this summer. There is an argument that Chicago’s QB derby is THE story that folks around the league will obsess over until either Mitchell Trubisky or Nick Foles is declared a winner.
But between a spring without offseason team activities and a summer that won’t feature preseason games, how the Bears will go about finding QB1 is still up in the air.
However, at least we have an idea as to when the real competition will begin:
First four days of NFL camps are COVID testing. Days 5-6: physicals, equipment fittings, virtual meetings. Next eight days strength/conditioning. Will be 14 padded practices, starting Aug. 17 (but Aug. 14 for KC and HOU, playing in opener).
— Sam Farmer (@LATimesfarmer) July 24, 2020
August 17 marks the first date for padded for NFL teams, tweets Sam Farmer of the L.A. Times. It will be the first of 14 such practices. And for the Bears, it represents the first opportunity to properly evaluate the two players dueling for the most important starting job that’s up for grabs. Mark your calendars and get your popcorn ready!
To be honest, 14 padded practices doesn’t seem like enough of a sample to come to a conclusion on any competition — let alone quarterback. But because Trubisky and Foles are squaring off against a top-tier defense, perhaps that will offset a lack of preseason action. At minimum, that factor should help Head Coach Matt Nagy assess the situation this summer.