From Last Word On Pro Football, by David McCaffery
The Windy City whispers are getting louder. With the NFL preseason wrapping up soon, the Chicago Bears are excited about rookie quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. The second overall pick in the 2017 Draft has looked the part of an NFL quarterback, and fans are already clamoring for him to be named the Week One starter. While that prospect is extremely intriguing, the reality of the situation is that this is simply not the time to make such a move.
Chicago Bears Must Take Their Time With Mitchell Trubisky
There is no question that Trubisky has impressed in his first appearances in a Bears uniform. Through three preseason contests, he has produced 354 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions, good for a 70.8 completion percentage and a quarterback rating of 112.7. Make no mistake about it, those are fantastic numbers and Bears fans are taking notice.
Not bad, rookie.@Mtrubisky10's highlights from #CHIvsTEN! https://t.co/NzetCofKKv
— NFL (@NFL) August 27, 2017
Ultimately, what Trubisky has shown is potential in spades. It is this potential that enticed the Bears to trade up to select him in spite of the fact that he had only made 13 starts in college. It is this same potential that made him the choice over seemingly safer prospects like Solomon Thomas and Jamal Adams.
Without question, Trubisky is brimming with upside, and he will almost certainly see the field in 2017. For now, however, the correct course of action is for Mike Glennon to maintain the starting role, and it’s not just because the Bears paid him a lot of money in free agency.
To his credit, after a rough start, Glennon played well in the team’s third preseason contest against the Tennessee Titans. With a considerable edge in experience, the Bears must find out what they have in the veteran. Pundits have always suggested that if given an opportunity, Glennon could be successful. Now is the time to find out how true that is.
Furthermore, the 2017 Bears offense is going to be the Jordan Howard show. The sophomore tailback is most definitely going to be the focal point the team’s week-to-week gameplan. Glennon is more than capable of handing the ball off to Howard and competently managing the game. In this type of offense, it would be better for Trubisky to soak up the mental reps as he prepares to unleash his talents in a more wide open scheme in future seasons.
Finally, the Bears’ top wideout Cameron Meredith is expected to miss the entire season with a torn ACL. It’s devastating news for a talented young player, and certainly a blow to the team’s passing game. Meredith was the most reliable and consistent target in the offense, and his absence would be a significant blow to a rookie starter.
Pushing Trubisky onto the field without his number one receiver in the mix could be a disaster. Kevin White, Markus Wheaton, Kendall Wright, and Victor Cruz all come with question marks, and unless one of them breaks out, it’s not a great situation to force the youngster into. It would be a more prudent course of action until a wideout pecking order is established, and one of these men settles into a featured role.
There is no question that Trubisky will be the Bears starter in the near future. Still, the franchise has no reason to rush him when they have a capable option in Glennon, a strong running game, and a questionable receiving corps. While Trubisky might be the future of this organization, the future hasn’t arrived quite yet.
But it won’t be that much longer.
