There are still more than two months before the 2020 NFL draft officially gets underway, but it's hard imagining any scenario where the Bears can remove themselves from the list of teams likely to target a quarterback from this year's class.
Sure, GM Ryan Pace could make a splash signing in free agency and pay a veteran starter top dollar to challenge and potentially unseat Mitch Trubisky. But even if he takes that approach, it's smart roster construction to add a young arm to the depth chart even if it's a developmental Day-3 pick.
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According to a recent breakdown of one mistake every team must avoid in the 2020 draft, ignoring quarterback tops the list for the Bears.
Publicly, Chicago is supporting Trubisky. However, the 2017 second overall selection is arguably the weakest link on the team—he has a career passer rating of just 85.8—and could keep the Bears out of contention in 2020.
If Chicago believes a second-round prospect such as Georgia's Jake Fromm can upgrade the position, it has to make the pick. Sticking by Trubisky would be a big mistake.
Fromm has his detractors in draft media, but he profiles as a perfect fit for what the Bears could be looking for from this year's draft class. He's experienced, accurate and has a high football IQ, all things Trubisky continues to lack entering Year 4 as Chicago's starter.
The Bears' options aren't limited to Fromm, however. There are Day-3 prospects like Washington State's Anthony Gordon who will benefit from the success enjoyed by Jaguars rookie phenom, Gardner Minshew, in 2019.
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Minshew, who also played under Mike Leach, went from being a sixth-round pick to the potential cornerstone of Jacksonville's offense. He's Exhibit A for why teams should always take a swing on a quarterback, even if it takes several drafts before getting it right.
Even if Pace manages to land a player like Marcus Mariota, Andy Dalton or a more established star like Tom Brady, the strategy should be very clear and obvious: draft a rookie to round out the position and increase the odds of success under center in 2020.
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