UNC Football: Mitch Trubisky benched by Chicago Bears

After some early season struggles, Mitch Trubisky has lost his position as the Chicago Bears starting quarterback.

In 2018, Mitchell Trubisky had a successful second season in the NFL. The Trubisky-led Chicago Bears went 13-3 on the year, and the former Tar Heel earned Pro Bowl honors.

At that point, it looked as if the 2017 No. 2 overall pick in the NFL Draft was ready to take a step forward in his progression. Unfortunately, since then, that hasn’t been the case.

After a disappointing 2019 season, the Bears looked to bring in some competition for their young quarterback. The team made a trade to acquire Nick Foles, who already has a Super Bowl ring under his belt.

The two would compete for the starting quarterback gig in training camp, and Trubisky ended up winning the job. However, although he secured the start in Week 1, the belief was that the 26-year-old would be on a short leash moving forward.

After struggling early on this season, head coach Matt Nagy already decided to make a change.

Yes, the Bears are currently 3-0 to start the 2020 season, but head coach Matt Nagy felt it was already time to make a change. Trubisky’s best performance came in Week 1, when he threw for 242 yards and three touchdowns to help the Bears pick up a come from behind victory against the Detroit Lions.

Since the Week 1 victory, Trubisky’s play has been sub-par.

Against the New York Giants, the signal-caller threw for 190 yards and two touchdowns. Not only did he throw two interceptions, but took four sacks against a Giants team that’s defense has struggled out of the gate.

In Week 3 against the Atlanta Falcons, the Bears found themselves down 16-10 at the half. Trubisky was erratic, completing just 13 of 22 passes for 128 yards.

Looking to spark his team, Nagy turned to Foles, the former Super Bowl MVP. The move clearly panned out in this contest, as Foles threw for three scores and helped the Bears tally 20 unanswered points to rally back for a 30-26 victory.

Moving forward, Nagy announced that Foles is the team’s starting quarterback. For the foreseeable future, the former Tar Heel will serve as the team’s backup, and his future in Chicago is definitely in doubt.

Trubisky had an opportunity to prove that he’s a capable NFL starting quarterback, but failed to make the most of his chances. We’ll see if the 26-year-old ends up getting another opportunity with the Bears or possibly elsewhere at this point of his career.

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