A year ago, the future was looking bright for Mitch Trubisky heading into the 2019 season. After a successful campaign in 2018, leading the Chicago Bears to their first playoff appearance since 2010, expectations were sky high for the young signal caller. With Trubisky behind center alongside a stingy Bears defense that ranked top five both in scoring and in yards allowed, Chicago was beginning to look like super bowl contenders. GM Ryan Pace's decision to draft Trubisky over Patrick Mahomes and DeShaun Watson was starting to look justifiable.
Fast forward to where we are today, and the public opinion on Trubisky has turned for the worse. The 2018 pro bowler saw a statistical decline in almost every major category in 2019. The former Tar Heel had seemingly lost his edge from the year before. While Mahomes and Watson continued to show growth in their game in 2019, Trubisky struggled as the Bears limped their way to an 8-8 finish.
The fifth-year option deadline is coming next month, and with the addition of Nick Foles alongside the pandemonium COVID-19 has brought to the world, it does not seem like the Bears want to fully commit to Trubisky. A lot of things can change in a calendar year, and Mitch Trubisky's public perception from last year to this year is an example of just that.
Trubisky's physical traits are off the charts when it comes to QBs; standing at 6'2" and weighing in around 220 pounds, he has the prototypical QB size that NFL teams look for. He has a cannon for an arm, which allows him to throw the deep ball effectively. His combine numbers show a guy who can move quite nimbly.
He was able to use these traits consistently in 2018, completing two-thirds of his passes for over 3200 yards and 24 TDs to only 12 INTs. He ran for another 453 yards and added 3 TDs on the ground, showing that he has football speed to go with his combine speed.
2019 was a tale of two QBs, throwing for 17 TDs and 10 INTs while only picking up 193 yards on the ground. Trubisky was brilliant at times; He threw for 3 TDs against the Lions on Thanksgiving. He helped rally the Bears to a come-from-behind victory agaisnt the Broncos on week 2. Unfortunately for Bears fans, his brilliance only showed up in flashes, as he struggled to put together full games.
What stood out the most was how inaccurate he was at times, missing on short/medium level throws at a higher rate than he should've. While he did not have the best offensive line protecting him last season, Trubisky still has to be held accountable for his up & down 2019.
Trubisky's inconsistency from last season puts the Bears in a hard spot, not knowing whether or not he can be trusted as a franchise QB. Chicago is not too thrilled with their QB situation right now, and will have to think long and hard on what to do with both Nick Foles and Mitch Trubisky heading into the future.