Let’s not get things twisted here. When the Chicago Bears traded for Nick Foles back in March, it was not a move driven by GM Ryan Pace. This was a decision championed by head coach Matt Nagy. The reasoning is obvious. The two have a history dating back to 2012 in Philadelphia and they reconnected for a year in 2016 with Kansas City. Nagy knows what Foles brings to the table and undoubtedly feels the QB can run his offense at a high level.
While Mitch Trubisky has a fair shot at keeping his spot, pretty much everybody of any note in NFL circles believes it’s Foles’ job to lose. His connection to Nagy and others on the staff along with that ring on his finger is just too hard to ignore. However, if it does play out that way there is one part of the scenario that comes with a double-edged sword. Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report pointed it out when detailing why the Foles move was the smartest of the Bears offseason.
“This brings us to the trade to acquire Nick Foles from the Jacksonville Jaguars, which was a sharp move for a couple of reasons. For one, Foles should either push Trubisky or take over the starting job himself—theoretically increasing the odds of a successful season in 2020.
Additionally, Foles can help give the Bears a better idea of whether Trubisky is holding back head coach Matt Nagy or if it’s the other way around. If Foles plays significant snaps and Nagy’s offense still regularly stalls, then the Bears might be prompted to give Trubisky a shot with someone else running the show.”
Nick Foles will either validate Nagy or destroy him as an offensive mind
This is a persistent argument many Trubisky supporters have made. That it wasn’t him who was the problem last season. They believe Nagy routinely made things more difficult than necessary with inconsistent play calling. This includes a lacking commitment to run the football, a love affair with “cute” play designs in short yardage, and a stubborn refusal to play more to Trubisky’s strengths.
This of course glosses over how many times Nagy got guys wide open that the QB missed. Or Trubisky’s average-at-best ability to read Run-Pass Option situations. So it’s a tug-of-war on who the real source of the problem was. By trading for Foles, it is clear Nagy wants to make his case that having the right QB can make his system run the way it was intended.
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So what if it doesn’t work?
Well, that will all but seal the coach’s fate. He was hired to win football games to be sure, but primarily to solve the Bears’ longstanding issues at fielding capable offenses. In two years thus far, he’s failed to crack the top 20. If he can’t do that with his own handpicked guy? His time in Chicago is probably done.