Chicago Bears 2018 Roster Turnover: Who will back up Mitchell Trubisky?

Mitchell Trubisky - Signed through 2020 - The jury is still out on if Trubisky will be THE Chicago Bears’ “franchise quarterback” or not, but everything is falling into place for him to be that guy moving forward. The Bears are all in on Trubisky for the next couple years — barring an unfortunate setback — and he will have every opportunity to succeed. General manager Ryan Pace moved up to ensure they picked him. Pace brought in a new offensive head coach and a support system to fully develop his QB. Now this offseason Pace is tasked with upgrading the receiving corps so Trubisky can thrive.

A modern, quarterback friendly system will be put in place for him. He’ll be taught by a head coach and offensive coordinator that have both worked extensively with QBs, and he has a team that believes in him.

Fans want to see a big Carson Wentz / Jared Goff like jump in play from Trubisky in year two, and the Bears are doing everything in their power to ensure that happens.

Mike Glennon - Signed through 2019 - Does anyone believe that Glennon will be the Bears’ back up in the 2018 season? Cutting him will bring a cap savings of $11.5 million, and they’ll incur $4.5 million in dead cap, so the money says cutting him is the logical move. Especially since new head coach Matt Nagy will likely want someone that is schooled in the terminology of his offense.

Mark Sanchez - Free agent - If Nagy is the type of head coach that carries three QBs on his roster, then I think it’s a no-brainer to bring Sanchez back. As the number three, his role is more as an assistant QB coach anyway, and he seemed to have really connected with Trubisky.

For those that say, ‘If Sanchez is like a coach, why not just make him a coach then,’ I say this.

There’s something to be gained from having a peer as a sounding board instead of a coach. The Sanchez (the player) / Trubusky relationship may be different than a Sanchez (assistant QB coach) / Trubisky relationship. Think of your past relationships with peers and how they changed if one of you moved into a role in management. As long as Sanchez is competent as a backup NFL QB, I say let him be a backup NFL QB.

2018 OUTLOOK - The only thing certain about 2018 is that Trubisky will open camp as the number one. I like the pairing of the young Trubisky and the veteran Sanchez, but I think Pace will want to explore a better option as the #2.

Of the veteran free agents, I think Chase Daniel makes the most sense. He played with the Chiefs from 2013 to 2015 and his QB coach back then was Matt Nagy. Daniel has only thrown 78 passes in his eight year NFL career, but he’s a veteran that has spent time with a lot of quality coaches.

If you’re hoping for a bigger “name,” then Matt Moore, Ryan Fitzpatrick, and Chad Henne could all be available, but I don’t think the Bears will go in that direction.

Ryan Pace has talked about drafting a quarterback every year, but so far he’s only drafted one (Trubisky). If a QB comes around when the Bears are up to draft in the later rounds this year, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them grab a rookie.

With the head coach and offensive coordinator both intending to spend a lot of time getting Trubisky up to speed, there may be time for quarterback coach Dave Ragone to spend some one on one time working with a rookie.

While I understand the importance of having a quality young quarterback in the pipeline, I don’t see it as a necessity this season. I’d be fine if the Bears rolled with Trubisky and two veterans.

What do you think the Bears will do behind Trubisky in 2018?