Chicago Bears: Meet Their Breakout Player of 2018
By Erik Lambert
It may seem like the obvious choice for a subject like this, but there’s a reason for that. Everything the Chicago Bears have done this offseason is geared towards it.
Mitch Trubisky was far and away their #1 priority the moment 2018 started. GM Ryan Pace is well-versed in what it takes to build around a quarterback. People say he saw the blueprint in places like Philadelphia and Los Angeles. While true to some extent, the reality is he got his education in such a construction 12 years ago in 2006.
That was the year the New Orleans Saints hired Sean Payton as their new head coach and also signed Drew Brees in free agency to become their new quarterback. Following this, they made furious attempts to bulk up the offensive depth chart. In the draft, they selected running back Reggie Bush, guard Jahri Evans, tackle Zach Strief and wide receiver Marques Colston.
Brees responded with the best season of his career to that point and took the Saints all the way to their first NFC championship game. Pace took those lessons to heart and made sure he applied them towards Trubisky when the opportunity arrived.
Furious array of Bears moves should make Mitch Trubisky a success
It started with the most important move of the entire blueprint. That was hiring a new head coach. John Fox was clearly unequal to the task it would take to develop Trubisky. So Pace went out and found his Payton, a young and offensive-minded coach who could build a scheme around the quarterback. The man he settled on was Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy.
Nagy brought in a strong reputation as a leader and innovator. He’d been mentored by Andy Reid, one of the best in the business. He was a former quarterback in college and the Arena League and spent the past five seasons helping Alex Smith to reach four Pro Bowls. At age 40 it felt like he’s the perfect man to pair with Trubisky for what is hoped to be years to come.
Then Pace’s attention turned to the roster. Between free agency and the draft, he added a litany of new faces across the offensive depth chart. Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel, Anthony Miller and Javon Wims bulked up the receiving corp. Trey Burton joined Adam Shaheen at tight end. James Daniels arrived from Iowa to settle their left guard position vacated by Josh Sitton. Suddenly the offense looks younger, faster, and deeper than it has in years.
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Trubisky finished 2017 with 2,193 yards passing, 248 rushing, nine touchdowns and seven interceptions. This was under the absolute worst of conditions in terms of scheme and surrounding personnel. So logic dictates that with those other problems addressed he should see significant improvement in his performance this year.