A Midway Mess
"With the second selection of the NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears select Mitchell Trubisky, quarterback, North Carolina."
And it went up in flames right after. Not just the NFL Draft, but the Chicago Bears.
With many projecting Cleveland to finally get out of the NFL doldrums, the Chicago Bears are now being looked upon as quite possibly the laughingstock of the NFL with how the last few years have gone. And it just seems very self-inflicted.
Of course the last few years, at least in the NFC North with the Lions, Packers, and Vikings, the Bears have been considered a joke given their issues with the likes of Jay Cutler's ineptitude and struggles, nicknaming Cutler the best quarterback the Lions and Vikings have on the team with his prone to interceptions over the years. Add in the fact Cutler seemed to blow it in big games against big teams also hurts while his personality was polarizing to say at the very least.
But Cutler was not just the problem in Chicago in the last few years. Injuries hurt and the defense has never been the same with Brian Urlacher retiring after the 2012 season. But it goes farther than that in the sense that the Bears front office is one gigantic mess.
If you want to look at it, look at the moves the Bears have made over the past few seasons via draft and signings. Yes, they had drafted Alshon Jeffery, Kyle Long, and a couple other serviceable guys, but in a nutshell, that itself has been a mess, drafting Kevin White, who has played only 4 games in 2 seasons because of injury. Kyle Fuller, the 1st round pick the year before White, has been somewhat of a disappointment as well as missed the entire 2016 season himself and the Bears will not take his option for 2018. The signings of free agents and trades themselves haven't panned out. Yes, Cutler had Marshall and Alshon Jeffery with Matt Forte in the backfield, but the Bears could not do anything with those guys. The pickups did not pan out at all for the Bears and that has been a key reason Chicago has languished in the NFC North the last few seasons.
Then 2017 arrives. The Bears ran out and signed Mike Glennon to replace Jay Cutler. Glennon backed up Jameis Winston in Tampa but many felt he could start. So the Bears at the time did probably a "wise" thing in singing Glennon. The contract? 3 years, $45 million. Yeah, expensive.
Then the Bears signed Mark Sanchez to back up Glennon. Um, okay. I guess it is a backup and such, though everybody gave a laugh at it.
And then the draft comes.
The Bears trade 4 draft picks to move up one spot. And to get another quarterback. A quarterback who only started 13 games in his college career. Yes, the numbers are nice in college, and watching him play a few times he was not a bad looking quarterback. But nothing says that Trubisky is a franchise quarterback. He still has issues with decision making and can get rattled easy. Plus, he's probably a year away from really starting. Adding on is that the Bears are also desperately woeful on defense, notably in the passing game (26th in total yards allowed) and could not get turnovers at all either (8 interceptions total, tied for 2nd worst in the league).
With those picks, you think Chicago could have netted at least some major help in the secondary? In a division to see Aaron Rodgers and Matthew Stafford air the ball like no other, maybe it is some help the defense needs.
This was an epic mess of a trade, getting a player at a position that doesn't really need to be addressed instead of addressing key spots on the defense. I get the Bears drafts haven't panned out great over the time, but not having key spots in a draft is also a massive problem.
I don't know what GM Ryan Pace is thinking at this point. I know he was down with the Saints in their heyday of wanting to outscore the opponent 38-35 every week, but the team isn't anywhere near that capability, even with Glennon or Trubisky. But the Bears are in a world of pain in my eyes because to add on to the Trubisky pick, they drafted a tight end (upgrade at that spot and add depth, but not a massive need), another RB to go with Jordan Howard and Jeremy Langford. And then a guard. Of course, the Bears selected a safety, Eddie Jackson from Alabama. Good safety, yes, but coming off a major injury to end his season early in 2016.
If the trend continues with Chicago's drafts, the Bears will suffer greatly in 2017. The defense is a mess still and the offense, while not as godawful as some may project, is still not on the same lines as the likes of the Falcons, Buccaneers, Steelers, and Packers (which by the way are Chicago's first 4 opponents). The defense may have a bright spot with Floyd, but the Bears overall will be shredded on a weekly basis on the defensive side. And the offense enough won't pull them out.
But honestly, they may need to have a step back (1-15?) to get the right guys in place. I am not saying Trubisky won't be the answer down the road as it is too early to project, but right now the team has glaring holes that may have widened this off-season because of the front office.
-Fan in the Obstructed Seat
