Two days before he gets a preseason start against the team that selected him second overall in the 2017 NFL Draft, Buffalo Bills quarterback Mitchell Trubisky showed off an array of terrific throws at training camp on Thursday.
Trubisky will start for the Bills on Saturday when they face the Bears in Chicago. The Bears traded up in 2017 to select the North Carolina product, making him the top signal-caller selected that year. He went eight picks ahead of where the Kansas City Chiefs selected quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and 10 spots before the Houston Texans took Deshaun Watson 12th overall.
Trubisky played four seasons for the Bears, posting a 29-23 overall record as a starter, including two playoff losses. The Bears declined to exercise their fifth-year option on him, letting him become an unrestricted free agent this summer. He then signed a one-year deal with the Bills to backup quarterback Josh Allen.
The Bears, on the other hand, got their hopeful future quarterback this offseason when they traded up in the 2021 NFL Draft to select Justin Fields out of Ohio State with the 11th overall pick.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott confirmed on Thursday that Trubisky will start on Saturday, while Allen and most of the other regular starters will not play at all.
Shortly after that, Trubisky looked confident and poised on the field, making several outstanding throws, and was sharp when throwing on the run.
Wide receiver Isaiah McKenzie was a particular standout on offense. He was on the receiving end of several passes from Trubisky and other quarterbacks, and also showed his quickness and elusiveness with the ball in his hands.
The play of the day on defense may have come from defensive tackle Harrison Phillips, who blew up a run play at the line of scrimmage and basically stopped running back Matt Breida in the backfield with one arm. It was like Breida ran into a brisk wall.
Participation
None of the following players participated in Thursday’s practice for the reasons stated:
- OL - Cody Ford (illness - not COVID-19 related)
- S - Jaquan Johnson (knee)
- WR - Stefon Diggs (knee)
- WR - Isaiah Hodgins (knee)
- TE - Tommy Sweeney (foot)
- OG - Forrest Lamp (calf)
- RB - Christian Wade (shoulder)
- RB - Antonio Williams (stinger)
Diggs was seen on the sidelines for the first time in about a week on Friday. McDermott said they are hoping to get him more involved on the field next week.
The Bills are off Friday as they travel to Chicago to play the Bears at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday. The game can be heard on WGR with pregame coverage starting at 8 a.m. ET.
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