Chicago Bears: Five bold predictions for the 2017 season

1. Rookie quarterback Mitch Trubisky will start five games down the stretch and play at an extremely high level

For the first time since 2008, Jay Cutler will not begin the season as the starting quarterback for the Chicago Bears. Ryan Pace moved on from Cutler this offseason and he took his talents to the broadcast booth. Now, some combination of Mike Glennon and Mitch Trubisky will handle the quarterback duties for the Bears in 2017.

The Bears signed Glennon to a three-year, $45 million contract. It was undoubtedly a high-priced contract for a player who has never been a full-time starter. However, Glennon’s contract is not as bad as it may seem on the surface. You see, the Bears can easily get out of Glennon’s contract next offseason and can cut his loose for almost no loss prior to 2019. I was not a huge fan of signing Glennon, but he is not going to kill them in the long-term.

After signing Glennon, the Bears still traded up a spot to take quarterback Mitch Trubisky with the second overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. Trubisky is an extremely talented quarterback prospect who has elite-level accuracy, a strong arm and great mobility. He also appears to be a strong natural leader and has all of the intangibles that you want out of a franchise quarterback.

Trubisky is undoubtedly the future at the position for the Bears, but Glennon is fully expected to be the starter throughout 2017. I believe that the Bears will give Glennon a full opportunity to prove himself as the starter. However, I just do not believe in his ability to keep the job.

Glennon is a strong-armed quarterback, but his accuracy is terrible and he has no mobility in the pocket. With shaky players at offensive tackle and wide receiver, I have a hard time seeing Glennon having much success with the Bears in 2017. If that is the case, expect Trubisky to take over the position at some point.

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Looking at the schedule, Week 13 against the San Francisco 49ers makes sense. That would give Glennon plenty of time to prove himself worthy or not and Trubisky enough time to make an impact down the stretch. The Bears play the 49ers at home late in the season. A home game against a less than stellar defense is a strong time for Trubisky to make his first NFL start under center.

In this scenario, Trubisky gets five games to prove himself down the stretch. I am a big believer in his ability on the field and would expect a strong showing out of the young quarterback. Trubisky showing promise down the stretch in 2017 would give the team a lot of momentum heading into the 2018 season.