{"id":24334,"date":"2017-07-21T16:54:17","date_gmt":"2017-07-21T20:54:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=24334"},"modified":"2017-07-21T19:13:09","modified_gmt":"2017-07-21T23:13:09","slug":"mitchell-trubisky-start-chicago-bears","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2017\/07\/21\/mitchell-trubisky-start-chicago-bears\/","title":{"rendered":"Newly Signed Mitchell Trubisky Won&#8217;t Start for Chicago Bears&#8230; Yet"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When the Chicago Bears surrendered three draft picks to move up one slot for the privilege of selecting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/T\/TrubMi00.htm\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Mitchell Trubisky<\/strong><\/a> with the <a href=\"https:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/2017\/04\/28\/chicago-bears-invest-mitchell-trubisky\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">second overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft<\/a>, it was clear that the team viewed the former North Carolina standout as its quarterback of the future.<\/p>\n<p>Even though the organization had just signed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/G\/GlenMi00.htm\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Mike Glennon<\/strong><\/a> to a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.chicagotribune.com\/sports\/football\/bears\/ct-bears-sign-mike-glennon-3-year-deal-20170309-story.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">three-year, $45 million deal<\/a>, Trubisky\u00a0immediately became the foundation the Bears intended to build around, but\u00a0the question of when he\u00a0would be unveiled as the team&#8217;s starter had yet to be answered.<\/p>\n<h2>Newly Signed Mitchell Trubisky Won&#8217;t Start for Chicago Bears&#8230; Yet<\/h2>\n<p>Now that Trubisky has officially put pen to paper and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/nfl\/story\/_\/id\/20104767\/mitchell-trubisky-signs-deal-chicago-bears-rookies-report\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">signed his rookie contract<\/a>, speculation about his immediate role will only intensify, and as the team prepares for the start of training camp, the quarterback situation will be at the <a href=\"https:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/2017\/06\/30\/chicago-bears-dream-scenarios-for-2017\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">forefront of most\u00a0Bears conversations<\/a>.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">SIGNED. \u270d\ufe0f <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/QgxCpNsmGV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/QgxCpNsmGV<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ChicagoBears\/status\/887727394097909760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">July 19, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Any time a team spends a top five pick on a quarterback, fans and media alike are always clamoring to see him take the field as soon as possible. After all, if the Bears felt strongly enough about Trubisky to part with so much draft capital, it stands to reason that they would want to get him under center as soon as possible, right?<\/p>\n<p>Not necessarily.<\/p>\n<h3>The Current Plan<\/h3>\n<p>All indications out of the Windy City are that the Bears are planning on taking it slowly with their would-be franchise passer. In fact, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.chicagotribune.com\/sports\/columnists\/ct-quarterbacks-bears-campbell-spt-0716-20170715-column.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rich Campbell of The Chicago Tribune<\/a> posits\u00a0that the team&#8217;s current intention is for Glennon to\u00a0hold onto\u00a0the starting job for the entire 2017 season:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s Glennon&#8217;s job on Day 1, and the team plans for the depth chart to remain stacked that way. All season, in fact.&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>In theory, this is the right approach for the\u00a0organization to take. Trubisky, for all his talent and upside, started a mere 13 games in college, and the learning curve as he enters the NFL is going to be very steep. Rushing him into the starting lineup before he is ready could seriously damage his potential,\u00a0should he have\u00a0his confidence shaken in the early going.<\/p>\n<p>The Bears spent all that money on Glennon because they believed he could be, at the very least, a respectable NFL starter, and giving him this opportunity while Trubisky learns and develops is a prudent move. The <a href=\"https:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/2017\/05\/21\/chicago-bears-offense-will-boast-new-look-2017\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">offense is going to be built around<\/a> sophomore tailback <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/H\/HowaJo00.htm\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Jordan Howard<\/strong><\/a> this season, and there is no reason to assume that Glennon can&#8217;t handle the role of Howard&#8217;s sidekick.<\/p>\n<p>Furthermore, Glennon&#8217;s contract is structured in a way that would make it easy for the team to move on once they feel confident handing the keys to the Cadillac over to the youngster. It&#8217;s a win-win situation, and ultimately the logical way to approach things.<\/p>\n<h3>Plans Change<\/h3>\n<p>However, in a game as emotional and reactionary as football, logic often finds itself flying out the window. Should Glennon stumble out of the gate or\u00a0string together a couple of bad performances, the calls for Trubisky will grow louder and louder. That&#8217;s just\u00a0the nature of the\u00a0NFL landscape. There will be pressure from all fronts to play the youngster and &#8220;see what the team has in him,&#8221; even if it could prove detrimental to his long-term development.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s an understandable reality of the\u00a0league in 2017. Young quarterbacks are seldom given the time to sit back and learn the nuances of the game in a supporting role, often being thrust into a starting job well before they&#8217;re ready. It&#8217;s\u00a0very uncommon to see a highly-touted quarterback sit and wait like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/R\/RodgAa00.htm\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Aaron Rodgers<\/strong><\/a> did for the first few years of his career.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/G\/GaroJi00.htm\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Jimmy Garappolo<\/strong><\/a> is a future NFL starter and potential standout, and is perhaps the best current example of the benefit of taking it slow with a young player.\u00a0However, his situation is similar to\u00a0Rodgers&#8217;, in that he&#8217;s waiting behind a Hall of Famer. Most young signal callers aren&#8217;t afforded the same\u00a0luxury.<\/p>\n<p>Trubisky&#8217;s first-round quarterback compatriots <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/M\/MahoPa00.htm\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Patrick Mahomes<\/strong><\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/W\/WatsDe00.htm\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Deshaun Watson<\/strong><\/a> could both conceivably sit and wait for a while, although Watson is likely to win the starting role from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/S\/SavaTo00.htm\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Tom Savage<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0sooner than later. Mahomes, on the other hand, is behind an established starter in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/S\/SmitAl03.htm\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Alex Smith<\/strong><\/a>, so he may\u00a0be a legitimate &#8220;redshirt&#8221; candidate, although that&#8217;s not a given either.<\/p>\n<h3>Trubisky&#8217;s NFL Future<\/h3>\n<p>In the case of Trubisky, it&#8217;s\u00a0only a matter of time until\u00a0he finds himself taking snaps in a regular season contest. Whether that happens in 2017 or not is up in the air, but in the interim, Bears fans can take comfort in the fact that the team believes it has found a homegrown signal caller to build around for the foreseeable future. In today&#8217;s NFL, that&#8217;s the first step toward building a winning franchise. What happens over the next several seasons\u00a0has the potential to be very exciting.<\/p>\n<div class=\"getty embed image\" style=\"background-color: #fff; display: inline-block; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; color: #a7a7a7; font-size: 11px; width: 100%; max-width: 594px;\">\n<div style=\"padding: 0; margin: 0; text-align: left;\"><a style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/683157258\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"overflow: hidden; position: relative; height: 0; padding: 66.666667% 0 0 0; width: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"margin: 0px; left: 0px; top: 0px; width: 100%; height: 100%; display: inline-block; position: absolute;\" src=\"\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/683157258?et=JHvWVd_vTTR33tReoct0bg&amp;tld=com&amp;viewMoreLink=on&amp;sig=pILZhwHTwASRCv71EmtJGwHgbGzChYEfUYdlsYBgoec=&amp;caption=true\" width=\"594\" height=\"396\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p style=\"margin: 0;\">\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mitchell Trubisky has signed his rookie deal and is an official member of the Chicago Bears. Will the team rush him into action as the starting quarterback?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":395,"featured_media":24399,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[23,54],"tags":[275,42,1483,61,1082,1809,2265,40,1576],"class_list":["post-24334","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bears","category-editorials","tag-aaron-rodgers","tag-chicago-bears","tag-deshaun-watson","tag-football","tag-jordan-howard","tag-mike-glennon","tag-mitchell-trubisky","tag-nfl","tag-patrick-mahomes"],"modified_by":"David McCaffery","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24334","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/395"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24334"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24334\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24399"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}