Chicago Bears: Get familiar with Florida QB Kyle Trask

It’s time for the Chicago Bears to get familiar with Florida Quarterback Kyle Trask.

Let’s face it, through the first two weeks of the 2020 NFL season, the Chicago Bears quarterback play has been encouraging but it hasn’t been game-changing. Three years into the Matt Nagy era and still continuing to bank on shaky quarterback play is still an issue.

Heading into the 2021 NFL offseason, Chicago has just one quarterback on the roster: Nick Foles. That means that if current starter Mitchell Trubisky falters in 2020, the Bears will likely cut ties with the former second-overall pick. That would mean that Foles would likely be the starter and the front office would draft a quarterback to groom.

Right now, every Bears fan hopes for Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence and Ohio State’s Justin Fields. Assuming that Lawrence and Fields are off the board when the Bears pick, another name that’s worth monitoring throughout the 2020 college football season is Florida’s Kyle Trask.

As a junior in 2019, Trask played in 12 games, tossing 25 touchdowns and seven interceptions, averaging 8.3 yards per attempt. Heading into the 2020 season, despite COVID-19 delaying the start of the season, the starting job was clearly Trask’s to lose.

In his first game against Ole Miss, Trask wasted no time picking up where he left off at the conclusion of his 2019 season. He’d throw for 416 yards and six touchdowns, completing 30 of 42 passes.

Throughout the game, Trask’s pocket presence was on display. He also looked poised and confident, like a guy who’s started multiple years in college, compared to someone who’s just heading into his first full season starting. Trask also knows how to use his weapons, utilizing tight end Kyle Pitts, who had four touchdowns against Ole Miss.

For the Bears, here’s the goal: Have Foles or another veteran quarterback serve as a bridge quarterback in 2021 while Nagy and the offensive staff continue to develop Trask, only to have him takeover as a full-time starter.

The reality is simple: Trask’s week one performance against Ole Miss was encouraging to see. If he continues to put together a strong 2020 season, teams will continue to monitor Trask. While he may never be in the same class as guys like Lawrence or Fields, Trask is clearly a name that could be one of college football’s biggest risers over the next few months. That alone should put him on the Bears radar as the front office and scouting department continues to prepare for the 2021 NFL Draft.