Nick Foles still viewed as potential QB option by Bears

The Chicago Bears went back and forth with Nick Foles last season, and may be willing to go back again.

Bears general manager Ryan Pace defended Foles’ 2020 performance in his season-ending press conference, suggesting that the team’s offense did not put Foles in the best spot to succeed.

“I respect the way he handled a lot of adversity this year, not just for himself in the quarterback room,” Pace said, via Mark Potash of the Chicago Sun-Times. “He was a leader in the room as a starter or as a backup. And … when he was playing, there were some things that, in fairness to him, the offensive line was a little unsettled and the run game wasn’t quite where we wanted it to be.”

Potash points out that there is a realistic chance that Foles could be the team’s quarterback in 2021. It is viewed as unlikely that the Bears will be able to trade up in the draft for a quarterback or acquire Deshaun Watson from Houston. While it’s possible the Bears could trade for a quarterback like Sam Darnold, it’s also possible that the Bears end up looking for free agent outcasts and deciding that none of them would really be an upgrade on Foles.

Foles struggled last season, going 2-5 as starter and throwing 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions. The Bears lacked a great offense, and Foles couldn’t make the most of it. That said, injuries didn’t help, and Foles has proven he can be effective if he has the pieces. Whether the Bears can get those for him is a different question.