Mitchell Trubisky still isn’t the Bears long-term starter

Although he’s returned to better form, Mitchell Trubisky still shouldn’t be the Chicago Bears best option.

Unless you’re a cynic, one has to give credit to Mitchell Trubisky since his return to a starting role for the Chicago Bears.

He’s 3-2 as a starter, has seen his completion rate skyrocket and now has the Bears a win away from making the postseason for the first time in two years.

Were they against bad teams? Sure. Is a win still a win? Indeed.

Trubisky certainly will be a player that can up his value with the Bears or any team this offseason. Since Chicago didn’t pick up his fifth-year option, they’ll go into negotiations hoping to walk away with the right deal.

Sunday, outside of his horrendous interception, provided him a solid stat line of 24-for-35 for 265 yards and three total touchdowns (one rushing). Looking back, the Bears went 2-5 with Nick Foles, who everyone dubbed to be waves better than the former No.2 pick.

So, what would have happened if the Bears stuck with Trubisky as the starter when they were 3-0? Almost the exact same thing since Foles had to face three top-10 defenses.

It’s why Trubisky, though worthy of a deal, isn’t the Bears’ long-term starting option.

Stats tell a better story on Trubisky

Systems help a quarterback find their niche. Since Bill Lazor took over the play-calling for the Bears, it works better for Trubisky’s skill set. His average yards per pass has jumped to a 7.1 average over the past five weeks.

Prior to his resurgence? 4.4 yards per throw.

Having a solid receiving corp also helps. According to The Athletic’s Arif Hasan, the Bears are third in the NFL in the percentage of yards after the catch and lead the league in broken tackles for wide receivers. Six of the Bears active receivers average more than nine yards per catch and only Allen Robinson has more than five plays of 20-plus yards.

The defense in 2018 also was a league-best in turnovers, but could barely rank inside the top 25 on offense. This past year, Chicago’s defense ranks seventh in the DOVA defense yet is 26th in DOVA offense.

At least it’s a step up from their original ranking of 32nd before Trubisky starting.

The Bears will be too good to draft one of the top names in April’s draft without trading up. They don’t have the draft capital to do that without setting the franchise back on one side of the ball.

https://twitter.com/BearsFilmRoom/status/1343566691922534400

For the right deal, Trubisky should be back for 2021. This will allow Chicago to either trade back and load up, draft to fix the offensive line early or add a quarterback with potential in the mid-rounds. Another year with the 26-year-old isn’t the end of the world, but it’s not the long-term answer.