How worried should the Bears be about Mitch Trubisky?

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Few positions in sports have the kind of expectations that come along with being a quarterback who's selected in the first round. Those expectations are elevated the higher a quarterback is selected in the first round, so in the case of Mitchell Trubsisky, who the Bears traded up to the second overall pick to select in 2017, it's safe to say failure is not an option for No. 10.

Unfortunately, Trubisky hasn't had much success in more than two seasons and 31 starts as a Bear. He bottomed out against the Saints in Sunday's 36-25 loss when he looked more like an undrafted free agent than a blue-chip first-rounder. His completions were a collection of meaningless dinks and dunks, and whenever he did take a shot downfield, his passes sailed off target and, in some instances, dangerously close to being intercepted.

It was bad. And what's worse? There's no indication that it will get better any time soon. Trubisky hasn't had that 'wow' moment in 2019, sans the 36-yard touchdown pass to Taylor Gabriel in Week 3, to suggest he's even capable of being an average starter in the NFL. It's true quarterbacks take time to develop, and it would be foolish for the Bears to move on from Trubisky with 10 games of evaluation remaining on their schedule, but it certainly feels like GM Ryan Pace is staring down an offseason that will require adding a quarterback in free agency or the NFL draft.

It would be negligent for Pace to ignore the position after what we've seen in 2019. Even if Trubisky has a strong finish to the season, the Bears need a better backup plan than Chase Daniel, who coach Matt Nagy said he never considered playing Sunday despite Trubisky's struggles. Maybe, if Chicago had a quarterback with more upside behind Trubisky, Nagy would've made the switch. This offense needs that flexibility moving forward, even if that means Trubisky moves to QB2 to begin 2020.

The quarterback situation is bad; maybe as bad as it was before Jay Cutler arrived in Chicago in 2009. According to the Athletic's NFL Panic index, it's downright awful.

Trubisky’s deficiencies, and the Bears’ fundamental offensive issues, were even more glaring against the Saints, a team that still has creative offensive play design (hello, fullback option with No. 3 quarterback Taysom Hill) and explosive plays without Drew Brees and other key offensive players, like running back Alvin Kamara and tight end Jared Cook. No, this is the quarterback the Bears picked and the head coach and play caller, Matt Nagy, they picked to develop him. And yet, the Bears, Trubisky and the offense are worse now than they were a year ago.

The swell of doubt around Trubisky and the Bears offense will only continue growing as this disappointing season marches on. Chicago faces the struggling Chargers in Week 8 and should (emphasis on should) be able to get back on a winning track. But they have to do it with some big plays on offense that are the result of a young quarterback who's ready to put this team on his back. Otherwise, it'll soon be time to scout next year's crop of NFL draft hopefuls.

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