Chicago Bears: Mitch Trubisky is Now Most Important Player on the Roster
The Chicago Bears have a new face of the franchise. Quarterback Mitch Trubisky is the most important player on their entire roster.
It was so unclear what the Chicago Bears would do with the third overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. A quarterback seemed like an option, but Deshaun Watson always seemed like the most likely choice. It always seemed far more likely that the Bears would take a star defensive prospect like safety Jamal Adams, edge defender Solomon Thomas or cornerback Marshon Lattimore. I do not think trading up to the second overall pick for Mitch Trubisky was on anybody’s radar.
Well, here we are, four days after the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft and that is the reality we are living in. Bears general manager Ryan Pace pinpointed Mitch Trubisky as his guy and he did everything in his power to make him the next franchise quarterback for the Chicago Bears. Instead of risking him not being at three, Pace gave up a 2017 third-round pick, fourth-round pick and a 2018 third rounder to go up one spot and secure his quarterback.
No matter how you feel about the way the Bears acquired Trubisky (I was not a fan), the reality is that none if will matter if Trubisky becomes a true franchise quarterback for the Bears. If Trubisky’s strong arm, great mobility and accuracy to all parts of the field translates and he becomes as productive as someone like Matt Ryan, giving up a few mid-round selections will not matter. The Bears will be in good shape.
However, if Trubisky busts, this franchise is in trouble. You can blame injuries all that you want, but the Bears went 3-13 last season for a reason. They are not a very good football team. Sure, they have some nice players in certain positions, but their lack of overall depth is alarming. Using three valuable picks to trade up one spot is certainly not going to help them in that department.
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Trubisky is a talented quarterback who showed a lot of promise at North Carolina last season. I really like him as a quarterback prospect but are the Bears really in a good position to allow him to have success?
Is their starting offensive tackle duo of Charles Leno and Bobby Massie good enough to protect Trubisky? After losing Alshon Jeffery, the Bears’ top receivers are now the always injured Kevin White and former undrafted free agent Cameron Meredith. That is not going to get it done. Can they build a strong enough core to give Trubisky quality weapons down the line? I am not saying it is impossible, but Pace and company clearly still have a lot of work to do.
Mike Glennon was brought in as a free agent to be the Bears’ starting quarterback this offseason. After the draft, it is obvious that Glennon is simply the bridge quarterback. He will be the starter in 2017 but the Bears will likely cut bait with him in favor of Trubisky in 2018.
Giving Trubisky a year to grow on the bench while the Bears try to build their offense around him may ultimately prove to be a strong move by the Bears. That being said, it is certainly not the traditional path.
Typically, it is better to build the team and find the quarterback when everything else is in place. The Bears are doing the complete opposite. They forced the quarterback selection and will now look to build their offense around him. Is Trubisky good enough to make this work? Only time will tell.
Next: 2017 NFL Draft: Grades for Each Bears' Selection
One thing is for sure, Pace and head coach John Fox better hope so. Their jobs depend on the success of Trubisky the next couple of seasons. He is clearly the most important player on the Chicago Bears’ roster.