Flush with an offensive-minded head coach in Matt Nagy and multiple new pass-catchers, most figure that Mitch Trubisky’s sophomore campaign with the Chicago Bears will be a vast improvement over what we saw last season.
For most of the offseason, reports from Bears camp were positive. At least one veteran player concluded that the No. 2 overall pick in last year’s draft was taking on a leadership role.
Now, with training camp getting going, optimism has given in to the reality that Trubisky remains a work in progress.
“Mitch Trubisky’s performance to this point in camp could best be described as inconsistent. This is neither surprising nor alarming. The guy has started only 12 NFL games (and only 25 total starts since high school), and now he’s learning an entirely new scheme that’s filled with flexibility to change plays and options during plays,” Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune noted on Sunday. “But now that fans have been welcomed to practice, the public can see what was evident throughout spring practices — Trubisky riding the roller coaster on a play-to-play basis.”
This shouldn’t be too alarming to the Bears and their fans. As Campbell noted, Trubisky is being asked to learn a second offensive system in as many NFL seasons. He also remains among the NFL’s most inexperienced signal callers. Yes, that includes those who are entering their rookie seasons.
Even then, any suggestion that Trubisky has not improved could be seen as a bad sign. Struggles early in the summer session certainly aren’t good.
Last season saw Trubisky put up just seven touchdown passes in 12 starts under then head coach John Fox. He must improve leaps and bounds as a sophomore to be considered Chicago’s future at the quarterback position.