If Mitchell Trubisky Is The Chicago Bears' Week 1 Starter, It'll Be A Surprise

As the 2020 NFL season gets closer, the chances that Mitchell Trubisky will be the Chicago Bears’ starting quarterback appear to be diminishing. In fact, it might even be considered a surprise if the former No.2 overall draft pick is under center in Week 1.

When Chicago traded a fourth-round pick for Nick Foles in March, it became clear that Trubisky wouldn’t be handed the starting job, which has been his for two and a half years. Then the Bears declined Trubisky’s fifth-year option in May, another sign that the organization is ready to admit that the 25-year-old isn’t a franchise quarterback.

Both DraftKings Sportsbook and BetOnline give Trubisky 2/1 odds to be Chicago’s starter when it opens the season in Detroit. Foles is a 1/3 favorite to begin the year atop the Bears’ depth chart.

The 2019 season was a disappointment for Trubisky and the Bears. Trubisky was a 2018 Pro Bowl selection and led Chicago to an NFC North title. The Bears won four fewer games last year and missed the playoffs with a .500 record as Trubisky regressed.

In 15 starts, Trubisky had mediocre stats across the board. He threw for 3,318 yards, 17 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Trubisky completed 63.2% of his passes and posted an 83.0 passer rating.

Trubisky didn’t rank better than 18th in any of those categories.

Foles wasn’t any better last season. He barely played because of a broken clavicle and the emergence of rookie Gardner Minshew, going 0-4 in his one and only season with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Foles had 736 passing yards, three touchdowns, two interceptions and an 84.6 passer rating.

It’s been five years since Foles was a full-time starter. What he has done is perform well and win games in the playoffs, including against Trubisky.

The Eagles upset the Bears at Soldier Field on Wild-Card Weekend two seasons ago. Trubisky finished the game with 303 passing yards, though struggled for the first three quarters. Foles had a pedestrian 77.7 passer rating and two interceptions, but he led Philadelphia to a 16-15 victory.

One year earlier, Foles had a 115.7 passer rating in three postseason games and won the Super Bowl MVP award.

Trubisky showed signs of being the quarterback the Bears hoped he could be in 2018. In 14 starts, he posted career-highs with 3,223 yards, 24 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and a more than respectable 95.4 passer rating.

But Trubisky was inconsistent, and he had just 15 touchdowns passes and 11 picks outside of a strong two-week stretch.

Unless that version of Trubisky shows up in training camp, he could be watching from the sidelines when the Bears play their first meaningful game of the year.