Chicago Bears: Mitch Trubisky must stay ready

The Chicago Bears’ quarterback must stay ready.

Although the Chicago Bears have officially named Nick Foles the starter, Mitchell Trubisky must stay ready on the sidelines. And at least for the time being, that is where he will be now that head coach Matt Nagy has officially named Foles the starter for Week 4 and beyond.

After his incredible fourth-quarter performance on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons, it is hard to argue with that decision. Foles quickly knocked off the rust and delivered three fourth-quarter touchdowns (five if you could the two that were overturned) en route to overcoming a 16-point deficit.

With the move, many may be ready to drive the final nail into the coffin of the Trubisky era, but that would be a mistake. Look, it is no secret that yours truly has been critical of Trubisky’s play in the past. Foles’ ability to process on Sunday underscored the chasm that exists between their respective abilities to process.

However, I am also a realist. While Foles is the better and more consistent quarterback, he is also injury prone. He’s never played a full 16-game season so the odds may be against him doing it this year. If so, that means Trubisky has not thrown his final pass in a Bears’ uniform.

Consequently, Mitch would be wise to stay committed and focused despite relegation to the backup role. In fairness, nothing about Mitch should give fans any indication that he won’t. He handled the post-game press conference with class and grace, facing tough questions in what was undoubtedly the low point of his professional career. Every teammate raves about his work ethic and how he is in the locker room.

He will now need to channel that focus into a role he hasn’t experienced since 2017 — backup quarterback. It may be that his Bear’s career is over, even if he does get another shot this season. After all, a Cindarella story seems unlikely. However, he would likely be auditioning for a role on another team next season in the hopes of salvaging his career.

Perhaps he absorbs more this go around as a backup. Maybe something clicks this time around and he can improve his ability to read defenses. Hopefully, that’s the case, because both the Bears short-term future and Trubisky’s long-term future may depend on it.