NEWSLETTER
The weekend promotion of Tyler Bray to the game-day roster was one of the more curious Bears roster decisions in recent memory. Indeed, even after learning that Bray’s promotion was NOT related to the health or availability of Nick Foles/Mitchell Trubisky, we were left wondering what was behind the move in the first place.
Head Coach Matt Nagy’s explanation provided an answer on Monday. And while doing so, raised more questions about the decision:
Nagy on why the Bears promoted Tyler Bray: "Having him come up and just be a voice for (Foles). I thinks sometimes those are parts of the game that are nice to have. … There was really nothing to it other than that."
— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) October 5, 2020
The Bears promoted Bray from the active roster, then made him inactive to serve as another voice on the sideline for Foles’ sake. That’s curious and concerning all rolled into one. Chicago already has a head coach (Nagy), offensive coordinator (Bill Lazor), quarterbacks coach (John DeFilippo), passing-game coordinator (Dave Ragone), and backup quarterback (Trubisky) who can (or should be able to) fill that role.
There is no shortage of quarterback whisperers on the Bears’ sideline. Did they really need another?
And what does this say about their other practice squad players if the Bears are calling up a QB3 only to make him inactive on game day?
More important than that — what does this move say about Trubisky?
Trubisky’s demotion meant he was taking a new role. Trubisky should be more than a dude rocking a baseball cap, wearing an earpiece, and holding a clipboard. Second-string quarterbacks are film junkies, hype men, sounding boards, soothsayers, and more. But if that’s what Bray was called up for, then what exactly is Trubisky doing?
I feel like I’ve written too much about a third-string QB situation. And yet, by doing so, I’m reminded the state of the QBs room tells us everything we need to know about this franchise. One short-term plug with a high floor, but limited ceiling. A failed prospect with a high ceiling, but shaky floor. And a room of quarterback whisperers trying to hold it together with duct tape, bubblegum, and string.
The provision to call up practice squad players to expand the game-day roster from 53 to 55 is neat. But using one of those to activate a third-string quarterback doesn’t seem like an ideal use of roster flexibility. And with that in mind, I expect the Bears to return Bray to the practice squad. But because I should know better, I’ll position myself to expect the unexpected moving forward.
