Nick Foles and Mitchell Trubisky are set to compete for the Chicago Bears’ starting quarterback job over the next several weeks, but head coach Matt Nagy says the coronavirus pandemic has likely given Trubisky the upper hand by default.
With teams unable to hold organized team activities and preseason games officially canceled, Nagy told reporters on Wednesday that Trubisky has a leg up in the competition due to the structure of the offseason.
“I think for sure it’s an absolute more of a disadvantage not having what he could’ve had, building the relationship and more specifically the timing with the wide receivers that you get in the OTAs, where you can route after route after route after route,” Nagy said, per NFL.com’s Kevin Patra. “You get to see and feel how guys time up their motions. For sure that would be a disadvantage. It’s something that he could’ve had that doesn’t have.”
But even with Foles having less time to acclimate to his new team, the Bears still intend to hold a true open competition. Nagy said he believes both quarterbacks are up to the task, and he intends to be transparent with each of them.
“As we’re going through this (competition), if one of the quarterbacks is stinking it up, and he’s playing like crap, we’re going to tell you that you’re playing like crap,” the coach said. “And if you’re playing really well, we’re going to tell you that in front of the other one. They’re both going to know if someone’s playing good and someone’s playing good or someone’s playing bad and someone’s playing bad. They’re going to know that.”
Trubisky has largely been a disappointment since the Bears drafted him second overall three years ago. Many believed Foles would easily win the starting job after Chicago traded for him, but Trubisky sounds more motivated than ever to prove the doubters wrong.
If Trubisky does win the job, he will likely be on a very short leash. The same may not be true for Foles, as Nagy could give him more time to prove himself since he’s new to the offense.
