“The Chicago Bears wide receivers are terrible.” “Don’t put Mitch Trubisky in now.” “He’s got nobody to throw to.” “This will ruin his development.” So on and so forth. That is pretty much the standing argument among the pessimistic section of the Bears fan base regarding whether the team should start their rookie quarterback. Never mind the fact that Mike Glennon is completely missing guys who are wide open every single week.
Let’s focus on the group themselves. Yes, it’s not ideal. In fairness the Bears didn’t start the season with plans that Kendall Wright, Deonte Thompson and Josh Bellamy would be their guys. Cameron Meredith and Kevin White both suffered season-ending injuries. It’s just bad luck. At the same time, history has shown that playing with less-than-stellar receiving corps don’t ruin the progression of a rookie quarterback.
History says the Chicago Bears wide receivers won’t ruin him
Receivers are of course important. The more talented the group, the more explosive the passing attack can be. At the same time not having a stellar cast has failed to prove on several occasions that it’s a deal breaker for a quarterbacks’ career. Here are a few notable Pro Bowlers and two Hall of Famers who had mediocre targets their first years.
Donovan McNabb (1999)
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- Torrance Small
- Charles Johnson
- Na Brown
Derek Carr (2014)
- Andre Holmes
- James Jones
- Bryce Butler
Dan Fouts (1973)
- Jerry LeVias
- Gary Garrison
- Ron Holliday
Terry Bradshaw (1970)
- Ron Shanklin
- Dave Smith
- Hubie Bryant
Fran Tarkenton (1961)
- Jerry Reichow
- Dave Middleton
- A.D. Williams
The blocking is where it will matter most
For those keeping score Tarkenton, Bradshaw and Fouts are in Canton. McNabb went to six Pro Bowls. Carr was an MVP candidate in 2016. The point of this is that wide receiving groups can be improved. They don’t ultimately decide the career of quarterback for one season. More often than not it’s the offensive line that does this. Look at some of the biggest busts in draft history and more often than not they were banged around a lot.
- David Carr – sacked 76 times as a rookie
- Rick Mirer – sacked 47 times as a rookie
- Tim Couch – sacked 56 times as a rookie
- Akili Smith – sacked 19 times as a rookie (in four games)
- Blake Bortles – sacked 55 times as a rookie
- Jack Thompson – sacked 16 times as a rookie (in 87 pass attempts)
Taking that amount of punishment can lead to a quarterback dropping his eyes. He starts looking for the rush instead of keeping his sight downfield. It’s a natural instinct that’s almost impossible to fight. This is the key for the Bears. Can they protect Trubisky? For what it’s worth the offensive line has allowed eight sacks so far in 2017. That ties them for seventh-best in the NFL.
It may just turn out okay.
