Trubisky needs to be traded today, salvage the season

Just about everyone was wrong on Trubisky. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay both had him as the top quarterback in the class, and so did PFF.

Trubisky has looked noticeably worse in 2019 than his two prior years, though he was still bad in those two seasons. Nonetheless, some have been defensive regarding Trubisky, excusing his poor play as part of the process for a rising NFL quarterback (i.e. the people looking at passer rating, QBR and Pro Bowl appearances as evaluating methods).

Attention Pace and the Bears franchise: It’s time.

It’s time to cut your losses and admit Trubisky is a sunk cost. And if you’re still on the fence

as to whether or not a move should be made for another QB, PFF presents why this is a necessary.

The Mitchell Trubisky era needs to end

Since coming into the league in 2017, Trubisky has ranked among the 10 worst quarterbacks in the NFL in each of his three seasons (66.4 grade in 2017 was 25th, 63.6 in 2018 was 30th and 45.7 in 2019 is currently last). Combine those three seasons, 33 quarterbacks have recorded 1,000 snaps and Trubisky ranks 32nd among those 33 in PFF grade. In that same timespan, there have been only five QBs to throw over 40 percent of their passes 10-plus yards downfield as uncatchable: DeShone Kizer, Josh Rosen, Tyrod Taylor, Josh Allen and Trubisky.

Trubisky’s biggest enemy seems to be himself on intermediate throws (10-19 yards downfield) as he ranks, over his career, second to last in each of the following categories: PFF passing grade (56.6), yards per attempt (8.3), passer rating (68.8) and uncatchable pass rate (33.2 percent).

It was clear that former Bears head coach John Fox and his regime did all they could to make Trubisky a below-average starter through the simplest NFL offense known to mankind. The innovative mind of Matt Nagy, who came from the Andy Reid coaching tree, was brought in to form a complex offense that defenses could not read immediately and to hopefully make Trubisky a high-end starter. Trubisky clearly could not handle it. Under Nagy (2018 and 2019), Trubisky has been abysmal throwing downfield. On throws of 10-plus yards, he has thrown the second-worst uncatchable pass rate at 46.2 percent and also ranks dead last in PFF passing grade at 56.3. Not to mention, his intermediate range passing grade is dead last, too, at 44.

Trubisky is holding Nagy’s play-calling and offense back as a whole. Play-action passes are far more efficient, yet Nagy can’t run those plays with Trubisky. Since 2018, these are the four lowest QB passing grade when running play-action: Joe Flacco at 66.6, Josh Rosen at 60.2, Ryan Tannehill at 59.2 and Trubisky at 46.1.

At 25 years of age and two and a half seasons of some of the worst QB play we have ever seen, the time has come for the Mitchell Trubisky era in Chicago to conclude. There’s still hope for the Windy City – as long as Pace is content with admitting he got this one wrong. Without further ado, PFF presents options the Bears have to consider in order to get them back into Super Bowl conversation:

Trade for Nick Foles

Jacksonville receives: 2020 second-round pick and 2021 third-round pick

When a team trades away one of the league’s best cornerbacks in Jalen Ramsey for two first-round picks and a fourth-rounder, it’s apparent that it’s building a team for a few years down the road. Entering the year though, the Jaguars had a different mentality, as they paid 2017 Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles $88 million over four years to be their starting QB. After an injury in Week 1, the Jags’ sixth-round selection this past NFL draft, Gardner Minshew II, was brought in to be the team’s starter while Foles recovers from a broken collarbone. Known for his unprecedented look, the young rookie has taken the league by storm and has become one of the best pure passers.