The Bears were supposed to end the vicious cycle of searching for the next great hope at quarterback when they selected Mitch Trubisky with the second overall pick in 2017. And while there's still some time left for Trubisky to prove he is, in fact, the answer under center, GM Ryan Pace is teetering closer and closer to another offseason of quarterback evaluation.
First up is free agency, where one of the biggest prizes at the position will be Teddy Bridgewater (Saints). Bears fans had an up-close look at how effective and efficient Bridgewater is during Chicago's Week 7 loss to the Saints, when he completed 23-of-38 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns. His performance in place of injured Hall of Famer Drew Brees solidified his status as a legitimate NFL starter who deserves a team of his own.
Bridgewater's logged five starts this season and has completed 132-of-195 passes for 1,370 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions. Put another way, he's playing the position exactly how the Bears need their quarterback to in order to complement a potentially Super Bowl-caliber defense. But will Pace take advantage of Bridgewater's availability this offseason?
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According to longtime NFL analyst Mike Freeman, the Bears' investment in Trubisky could keep them out of the quarterback market for another year.
"Mitchell Trubisky is one of the biggest things holding the Bears back from being a solid playoff team this season," Freeman wrote. "Well, that and kickers. OK, definitely kickers. But they drafted Trubisky No. 2 overall and gave up future picks to do so. The Bears will probably give Trubisky one more shot next season."
Freeman puts the Bears' chances of signing Bridgewater at just 10%, but that seems awfully low.
The NFL is a win-now league, and the days of waiting for a young quarterback to blossom into a bonafide starter are over. Plus, it's not like the Bears haven't already done that with Trubisky. Assuming he starts the rest of the season, he'll end the year with over 40 starts on his resume. If that isn't enough reps to understand what Trubisky can (or can't) be, then there may be a problem with talent evaluation in the front office.
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If Trubisky is much of the same in November and December, expect the Bears to make a strong push for a quarterback in March (and in the NFL draft in April).