Chicago Bears training camp: Trubisky’s positives outweigh growing pains

Mitch Trubisky is fighting growing pains, but he has also shown plenty of positives so far at Chicago Bears training camp.

The first padded practice of Chicago Bears training camp didn’t start perfectly for future franchise quarterback Mitch Trubisky. On three of his first six snaps, Trubisky botched the under-center snap exchange, stalling team sessions. Afterward, he admitted that the fumbles went to his head, as reported by the Chicago Sun-Times’ Patrick Finley.

"‘‘I think I just lost focus there for a period of time,’’ said Trubisky, who was rarely under center last year in North Carolina’s shotgun-heavy offense. ‘‘And then I was starting to overthink it and then couldn’t get it.’’"

Without a doubt, his struggles indicated that he still has a long way to go before he’s ready to start an NFL game. For now, this definitely explains why Trubisky is currently slotted third on the depth chart behind Mike Glennon and Mark Sanchez.

However, don’t let his early struggles kill your optimism about his future. Trubisky’s already showing that he’s a special player. And he’ll likely only get better from here.

Trubisky’s Talent on Display

Despite his issues with snaps—which isn’t surprising given that he hasn’t taken a snap under center since high school—Trubisky’s arm talent has drawn rave reviews from attendees at training camp.

He has completed several impressive throws, including a few deep balls that displayed his improvement with his down-the-field touch.

Plus, he has delivered impressive throws outside of the pocket, showing off his athleticism and playmaking ability. Basically, when he gives himself a chance to throw the ball, he looks like an NFL quarterback. Arguably, he probably already has more arm talent than anyone on the roster even now.

Sure, no one is saying that Trubisky should start an NFL game just yet. One should ideally handle snaps cleanly before that happens. But don’t forget: this was his first padded NFL practice. With many more practices and pre-season games left in training camp, I expect that he’ll move past these minor obstacles rather quickly.

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And when he does, Trubisky will quickly become the Bears’ backup quarterback. Once he starts showing that he understands the offense and eliminates the simple mistakes, no one will be able to argue that Sanchez should see the field before him.

That’ll bring him one step closer to taking the field for the Bears and possibly becoming the franchise quarterback Chicago has longed for. And if he improves rapidly in the next few months, he could start his countdown to throwing regular season passes earlier than expected.