Wednesday 1 January 2020 08:41, UK
The Chicago Bears remain committed to Mitchell Trubisky as their starting quarterback despite his struggles this season, general manager Ryan Pace said on Tuesday.
Pace stopped short of saying the Bears will exercise their fifth-year option on him and did not rule out bringing in an experienced veteran who could push for the starting job. But he made it clear the Bears expect Trubisky to open next season as their No 1 quarterback.
"Mitch is our starter," Pace said. "We believe in Mitch and we believe in the progress that he is going to continue to make."
"Mitch is our starter. We believe in Mitch and we believe in the progress that he is going to continue to make"
Though the Bears are sticking with Trubisky, they are shaking up their coaching staff.
Offensive co-ordinator Mark Helfrich and three other assistants were fired, the team announced on Tuesday. Offensive line coach Harry Hiestand, tight ends coach Kevin Gilbride and assistant special teams coach Brock Olivo were also let go.
The Bears ranked 29th on offense, 27th in rushing, 25th in passing, 27th in touchdowns and 29th in scoring.
They were banking on Trubisky taking another big step in his third year in the NFL and second in Nagy's system. But instead of emerging as a top-tier quarterback, the No 2 overall pick in the 2017 draft took a step back.
Chicago went 8-8 after winning the NFC North at 12-4 and missed the playoffs for the eighth time in nine years, certainly not what the Bears envisioned.
Pace staked his reputation to Trubisky when he traded up a spot and drafted him ahead of Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes and Houston's Deshaun Watson. While Mahomes and Watson have emerged as stars, Trubisky has mixed flashes of promise with poor decisions and throws for Chicago.
His yards (3,138), completion rate (63.2 percent), touchdowns (17) and rating (83) all dropped from a year ago. He is 23-18 as a starter, and Pace said he might need surgery for an injury to his left, non-throwing shoulder he suffered against Minnesota in September.
"With a young quarterback, in a lot of cases, it is never going to be a straight line, it is never going to be linear," Pace said.
"There are going to be ups and downs. And you see moments this year, you see games, you see him responding to adverse situations within a game, those are signs of positive improvement. We just need to smooth out those inconsistencies."
Even so, he said bringing in an experienced backup to push Trubisky is a possibility. Veteran Chase Daniel and third-stringer Tyler Bray have expiring contracts. As for exercising Trubisky's fifth-year option, Pace said the Bears are not at that point right now with the season ending just two days ago.
Pace also confirmed linebacker Roquan Smith (pectoral muscle) and wide receiver Taylor Gabriel (hip) had surgery and hope to be ready for training camp. He also said wide receiver Anthony Miller will need an operation on his left shoulder for the second time in as many years.
