The Chicago Bears haven’t mentioned anything about changing quarterbacks. Then again they don’t need to. It’s plain as day that the team will likely be making a change in 2020. Mitch Trubisky’s play this season makes that seem inevitable. Five TD passes in seven games. Inaccurate passing. Bad decision-making. A refusal to run the ball himself anymore. It’s all crashing down for the 25-year old who clearly seems like he’s lost his confidence.
This makes it seem inevitable that they will go hunting for help next year. Will it be in the draft or free agency is the question? With no 1st round pick, most assume the more likely road is the veteran market. Among the list of names expected to be on their radar is Marcus Mariota. The former #2 overall pick in 2015 had an up and down career with the Tennessee Titans that was marred by constant coaching changes. The 26-year old was finally benched in favor of Ryan Tannehill a few weeks ago.
The Bears, who employ Mariota’s former college coach Mark Helfrich, would seem like a logical landing spot. However, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune spoke to scouts and other talent evaluators who cautioned against that move.
“I wouldn’t rule anything out. I would say the chances of them cutting Trubisky are not very high. If he continues to struggle, I would be very surprised if they didn’t bring in someone to compete for the job with the idea of the newcomer taking over. I’d be careful wishing for Mariota. The talent evaluators I have spoken to recently believe he’s a below-average quarterback.”
Chicago Bears would get a slightly less bad version of Trubisky
The fact of the matter is Mariota may be at a similar point in his career to Trubisky. His confidence is shot and he’s just playing scared. He’s missing too many throws that should be easy for a starting NFL quarterback. He also seems reluctant to push the ball down the field for fear of a turnover. Maybe if this were a couple of years ago before the wheels truly started to come off it would be a viable solution, but it’s hard to imagine the Bears would be able to transform him into what he should’ve been by now.
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Anything is possible, but the fact that multiple NFL people are cautioning against such a move paints a fairly clear picture. Mariota is damaged good and probably beyond hope at this point. His future looks to be that of a journeyman backup. Then again GM Ryan Pace was a big fan of Mariota coming out of college, almost trading up for him that year. He might still be convinced the kid can play. Next March will be fascinating.
