Chicago will have a quarterback competition
The Chicago Bears declared the quarterback competition between Mitchell Trubisky and newcomer Nick Foles an open one.
General manager Ryan Pace made that clear, saying both players are “embracing” the battle that will play out whenever offseason workouts begin.
Coach Matt Nagy stressed that Trubisky will be the first quarterback on the field whenever practices begin, But he planned to give Trubisky and Foles equal time with the starters. He also said both will play in the preseason as part of the evaluation.
“It’s going to be equal and we as coaches need to make sure we do the right thing in regard to equal reps, and make sure they’re playing with similar or the same players on offense and going against the same players on defense,” Nagy said. “There will be some juggling that we’ll have to do. It might be a little different at times on how we do it and how we get to it. But I can promise you this: It’s going to be completely fair, it’s going to be extremely competitive in a good way. It’s going to be a healthy competitiveness.”
Pace largely staked his reputation to Trubisky when he traded up a spot with San Francisco to draft him with the No. 2 overall pick in 2017. And the results have been mixed.
Trubisky was selected to replace Jared Goff in the Pro Bowl after his second season. But instead of taking another big step forward last year, he struggled as the Bears stumbled to an 8-8 record and missed the playoffs.
Pace said after the season the Bears remained committed to Trubisky as their starter, though they weren’t ruling out bringing in a veteran to push him. They did just that when they acquired Foles from Jacksonville last month.
Pace wouldn’t answer if the Bears will pick up Trubisky’s fifth-year option for the 2021 season. The deadline is in May.
Buccaneers keep Gabbert: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have re-signed free agent backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert to a one-year contract.
The 10th-year veteran spent all of last season on injured reserve after hurting his shoulder during the preseason.
Gabbert signed with the Bucs last year after spending the first eight seasons of his career with the Jacksonville Jaguars, San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans and Arizona Cardinals.