Nick Foles has thrown more interceptions (4) than touchdowns (2) in his three starts with the Bears. And yet, Head Coach Matt Nagy insists by sticking with Foles moving forward.
“We have a lot of confidence, and I have a lot of confidence in Nick right now with where he’s at,” Nagy said on Tuesday. “This is a process for us to work through, and it’s not just one person.”
In other words, Mitchell Trubisky isn’t getting the starting job back.
So what should the Bears do with him?
Over at Bleacher Report, Alex Ballentine offers up the player every NFL team should put on the block ahead of next Tuesday’s trade deadline. And for the Bears, it’s Trubisky.
Ballentine believes the Bears should be buyers, but there’s a catch. He also thinks they should be open to a team more desperate for quarterback help than their own being interested in Trubisky. And if that’s the case, perhaps Chicago should be willing to listen to an offer. I don’t think Trubisky will sign a free agent deal elsewhere that will help the Bears in the compensatory pick formula. With that in mind, there’s an argument for trading Trubisky to land some always-desirable draft capital. Would a fourth- or fifth-round pick pique the Bears’ interest? Can the perk of gaining roll-over cap space for 2021 be enticing? These are real questions worth asking.
HOWEVER, I’m not totally sold on this being best for Chicago. Should the Bears — a team with legitimate playoff aspirations — give up a top QB2 option? He knows the system and can hold down the fort if Foles goes down with an injury. That’s important, right? Remember, Nagy has coached a Trubisky-led outfit to a playoff appearance before. Heck, they’ve won 22 of the 32 games Trubisky has started. Let’s be real. Nagy has done more with less before, so I won’t put it past him to do it again.
In the end, I don’t think a team willing will trade real draft assets for a half season of Trubisky. And if that team was out there, I’m almost certain he has the most value to the Bears as their QB2.
Trading Trubisky would be a tough pill to swallow for GM Ryan Pace, but Pace traded his 2017 second-round pick last summer. So I know better than to think he wouldn’t do it again.