If the Chicago Bears’ season ends in New Orleans on Sunday, the first thing ownership has to do is figure out the fates of GM Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy. Speculation around the team beat and even at the national level seem to believe one of three things will happen. Nagy and Pace will return. Nagy will return and Pace will be fired or they’ll both be fired.
Right now the odds seem to favor Nagy returning for another year. If that ends up becoming true, the next piece of business is an obvious one. What do the Bears do at quarterback? Mitch Trubisky will be a free agent this March. Does the team consider bringing him back on some sort of short-term deal? Some believe they should. However, there is a contingent out there who also think Nagy will be searching for the next guy.
He’s tried everything with Trubisky. It hasn’t worked.
The belief is the coach will seek to pick his own quarterback. Somebody he feels can run the offense the way he envisioned. Will it be a veteran? Possibly. There could be some intriguing names available in free agency or the trade market. More likely though is the NFL draft. Even if the Bears pick later, there is a strong possibility Matt Nagy will see somebody he likes. The question is who will it be?
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Disclaimer: Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, and Zach Wilson will be excluded from this list. All three are projected to go in the top 10 of the draft. So only a trade up by the Bears would make one of them possible. This list is strictly focused on names who could be available when they pick.
Matt Nagy will likely target one quarterback in particular
#3 – Trey Lance (North Dakota State)
In terms of overall talent, Lance is the best of the three likely available to the Bears. He has everything from the size, mobility, and arm strength teams look for. So why would Nagy shy away from him? A few factors. For one, Lance has only played one full season of college football. That was at the FCS level too. So he’s not just limited on experience but also got that experience against lesser competition. Anybody who has followed the Bears for the past four years will get immediate “Trubisky” tingles upon hearing that.
Lance isn’t a polished pocket passer by any stretch. He’s more of a running quarterback at this point. He threw a mere 318 passes in his college career. Even Trubisky had more than that. This is not to say the kid won’t have success. It’s just that inexperienced QBs tend not to translate well to the NFL. He needs work and Nagy has already proven he isn’t a fan of those types.
#2 – Kyle Trask (Florida)
The dimensions of Trask are easy to get behind. He’s 6’5, which is deemed the ideal size for an NFL quarterback. Better still he’s demonstrated a keen pocket presence during his two years at the helm for Florida, able to scan the field with his eyes and find the open man. He isn’t afraid to be aggressive but also knows when to check the ball down. It shouldn’t be a surprise. His head coach Dan Mullen is the same guy who molded the likes of Alex Smith and Dak Prescott.
Trask has 68 touchdowns and 15 interceptions in just 24 games. He’s the most prolific passer in program history. So why is he lower on a lot of boards? Two key factors. His arm strength and his mobility. Trask doesn’t have an A-grade arm, often showing a lack of velocity on his downfield throws. On top of that, he isn’t known for his escapability. It’s hard for quarterbacks to overcome such issues in the NFL.
#1 – Mac Jones (Alabama)
The Crimson Tide already made Tua Tagovailoa a 1st round pick this past year. Now it seems they’re doing the same for Jones. In terms of productivity, there is no argument Jones has outperformed his predecessor. If not for the incredible year teammate DeVonta Smith had, it’s likely Jones would’ve won the Heisman trophy. He threw for over 4,000 yards, 36 touchdowns, just four interceptions, and completed a ridiculous 77% of his passes.
That type of efficiency and productivity has never been a thing for Nick Saban quarterbacks. This speaks to just how good the kid has been. In terms of skills? He’s got decent enough size at 6’2 but excels the most with his accuracy, touch, and field vision. He not only can find the open man but often knows when the receivers will be open before they are. What separates him the most though? His deep ball.
Jones has an excellent vertical throw, often able to hit receivers in stride down the field despite frankly average arm strength. Mobility isn’t his thing but he can at least move enough to keep plays alive. Matt Nagy will gravitate to this kid not so much because of his superior talent but his superior mind for the game. Something that is demonstrated each week.