Chicago Bears: Why Trubisky benefits from Foles starting

When the Chicago Bears kick off their season, Mitch Trubisky would benefit from Nick Foles starting.

As the Chicago Bears quarterback competition looks to sort itself out in the upcoming weeks ahead, there’s enormous pressure on Mitch Trubisky to take in the reins and finally prove all of his doubters wrong about his performance.

Due to shaky, inconsistent play from the former number two overall pick, the Bears decided not to pick up Trubisky’s fifth-year option this offseason, meaning he has just one final season to prove to the organization that he is their unquestioned franchise quarterback moving forward.

Pace and company wouldn’t have traded for a former Super Bowl MVP in Nick Foles this offseason if they had zero concerns about Trubisky’s status as their franchise quarterback, regardless of what’s been relayed from them to the media in past interviews.

The organization is hoping that a fair competition for the starting gig will bring out the best in both Trubisky and Foles. While that certainly may hold true as this position battle plays out, here’s why Foles winning the starting job over Trubisky to begin the season can actually be a blessing in disguise for Mitch.

Learning from a true champion

Every quarterback’s dream is to go out and help their team win a Super Bowl. It’s very rare for quarterbacks other than Tom Brady to make it to one, let alone win multiple rings during their career.

Nick Foles is as battle-tested as quarterbacks come, having been both a starter and a backup during various stops in his career thus far. He’s gone from being an after-thought to being celebrated as a Super Bowl MVP for the Philadelphia Eagles back in Super Bowl LII.

While he hasn’t had the same measure of success following his magical postseason run in the 2017 season, Foles has shown the same calm, steady demeanor that has helped galvanize his teammates no matter what organization he’s played for. He has adopted that team-first mentality, doing whatever his role is asked of him to do over the many years he’s put on an NFL helmet.

If Foles wins the starting job for the Bears, Trubisky will be able to watch and learn from someone who like Trubisky, has been counted out more times than not before finally proving to everyone that he can deliver on the biggest stage there is when his number gets called.

In his first three seasons, all eyes were focused squarely on Trubisky from the moment Ryan Pace moved up to draft him. Unfortunately, Mitch never had a well-established veteran quarterback to look up to for guidance.

Mike Glennon and Chase Daniel were the notable players sharing the same quarterback room with Trubisky during various points, and while both had playing experience and were positive influences inside the locker room and on the practice field, neither enjoyed anything close to the type of in-game success that Foles has demonstrated throughout his career. And that matters.

Even with his injury history, when healthy . . . Foles has proven to be a far superior player than any of the other quarterbacks Pace has brought in over the years to back up Trubisky. It’s a notable reason why Trubisky will benefit more from watching Foles operate under center for the Bears to start the season as opposed to holding your breath whenever Chase Daniel and Mike Glennon had no choice but to throw ill-advised passes in crunch time.

Much like former beloved backup quarterback, Josh McCown had a habit of doing for Jay Cutler years ago, Foles will do whatever it takes to mentor and support Trubisky as well, regardless of who’s starting. Foles already has a firm grasp of Matt Nagy’s offense from their time together in Kansas City. Because of that, along with all that he’s experienced and overcome, Foles will serve as the perfect mentor for Trubisky, both on and off the field.

A perfect mentor that can remind Trubisky no matter how rocky things have gone as of late, there’s always an opportunity lurking ahead to make your mark on an organization in the most impactful way possible, even when hardly anyone saw it coming.