The Chicago Bears got their latest and most stark bit of evidence that Mitch Trubisky may not end up being what they’d hoped. Coming off his shoulder injury seems like a concern, but he had two weeks to prepare for the New Orleans Saints defense. The final totals will say he played okay with 251 yards and two touchdowns, but most of that came when the Bears were already behind 36-10 and the Saints were playing prevent. Trubisky was once again awful against a well-coached and prepared opponent.
Chicago has the worst offense in the NFL. The actual numbers don’t matter. This group is completely lost. They can’t run the ball. They can’t throw the ball. Trubisky continues to miss way too many easy throws to be convinced that will ever change. Forget 2020. The Bears might need answers even sooner than that. What people aren’t sure about is whether this team has any options that can possibly change the status quo.
Maybe. No guarantees of course. However, there are a few interesting names floating out there. The problem? All of them come with notable red flags. It would come down to whether the Bears are willing to embrace the risks.
Chicago Bears QB options all come with a catch
Colin Kaepernick (Free agent)
People will say he’s been out of the league too long and comes with way too much media baggage. Both are valid arguments. Yet the fact remains that Kaepernick was an effective NFL quarterback and he’s still only 31-years old. It’s not like he’s a grizzled veteran. He can run, understands where to go with the ball, doesn’t miss easy throws, and tends to avoid turnovers. There’s no question signing him would set off a media frenzy and probably not make a lot of people happy. Yet the pressure to win is leaving them few options.
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Marcus Mariota (Tennessee Titans)
The Tennessee Titans chose to bench the former #2 overall pick in favor of backup Ryan Tannehill who had a good first start against Los Angeles. That would seem to confirm that this change will remain permanent for the rest of the year. It also doesn’t paint the best picture of Mariota but then again it’s not like he was the primary issue for the Titans. For all his faults, Mariota has his good moments. The Bears aren’t looking for a star. They just need average QB play. Given his connections to offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich, this seems like a nice fit.
Eli Manning (New York Giants)
A lot of Bears fans came out of the woodwork a couple of weeks ago when the rumors circled that the team had sent out phone calls to New York about the availability of longtime veteran Eli Manning. They immediately shot it down. In hindsight, maybe they’re coming around to the idea. Manning isn’t the player he was five years ago but he’s still a smart veteran who can engineer an offense from the pocket. This team doesn’t need him to be great. They just need him to be average. There’s no reason to think Manning can’t still do that.
