(670 The Score) Mitchell Trubisky is the clear frontrunner over Nick Foles in the Bears' quarterback competition, former Chicago coach and current NFL analyst Dave Wannstedt said Tuesday morning.
"Mitch is the guy right now," Wannstedt said on the Mully & Haugh Show on 670 The Score. "I don't see how Foles can do anything to unseat him going into opening week. It's a good situation right now."
Wannstedt has seen part of the competition firsthand, having recently viewed practice.
Trubisky, 26, struggled in 2019, leading the Bears to acquire the veteran Foles from the Jaguars in March. Trubisky threw for 3,138 yards, 17 touchdowns and 10 interceptions last season, when he averaged just 6.1 yards per pass attempt. His 39.5 QBR rated 28th of 30 qualifying quarterbacks, according to ESPN.
Foles, 31, threw for 736 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions in playing just four games in an injury-plagued 2019. Foles knows coach Matt Nagy's offensive system well, having played for him in Philadelphia and Kansas City.
This quarterback competition is challenging in the sense that there are no preseason games amid the coronavirus pandemic, meaning Nagy and his staff will have to make their decision after creating game-like situations in practice.
Chicago opens it season at Detroit on Sept. 13. As far as Wannstedt sees it, Trubisky will be under center.
"Nothing's changed in my mind," Wannstedt said. "Mitch isn't taking a back seat. And the more that I watch this and the more that I talk to people, Nick Foles is the perfect guy they could've (added). I won't get into names, but I know situations where they brought in a veteran guy and the veteran guy undermined the younger guy – he got with the coach, he tried to rally the players to support him. We could talk for hours on that. Nick Foles is a good guy, and he wants Mitch Trubisky to be as good as he can be.
"Nick Foles, in my mind, is going to be a fantastic backup. Now, Trubisky has got to get it done, but at this point, he's not giving an inch. He's competing. I'm going to go back to what I said last year – Matt Nagy, I think, just has to use him to get the most out of him. He's got to tighten this offense up a little bit to give Mitch the best chance to be successful."
