Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky had to leave the game on Sunday with a shoulder injury. Replacing him with a free agent will not go well.
Early in Sunday’s game versus the division rival Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky was tackled and hurt his shoulder. He had to exit the game after getting rolled over and his backup Chase Daniel came in for the Monsters of the Midway for the remainder of the game.
Bears head coach Matt Nagy can trust Daniel to at least tread water should Trubisky miss significant time with his shoulder injury. However, the Bears will have to address the injury one way or another, either by promoting a player off of the practice squad or signing a free-agent quarterback off the street. So what could either option have in store for the Bears?
If the Bears to promote a practice squad quarterback, that would mean Tyler Bray would serve as Daniel’s backup in Trubisky’s absence. Bray spent his first five NFL seasons with Nagy’s former team, the Kansas City Chiefs. He followed Nagy to Chicago before last year when Nagy was named the Bears head coach. This seems like a seamless transition if Bray is promoted.
But if the Bears want to get a little crazy and go with a guy off the street, here are some of your options. Enjoy:
- Joe Callahan
- Matt Cassel
- Connor Cook
- David Fales
- Taylor Heinicke
- Kevin Hogan
- Cardale Jones
- Brock Osweiler
- Tom Savage
- Brandon Weeden
So from the looks of it, it’s not great. Many of these guys have started games in recent years in the NFL, so there’s that to look forward to. If the Bears are going to sign a guy off the street, three names of intrigue are David Fales, Cardale Jones and Brock Osweiler.
Fales is intriguing because he has had two stints with the Bears in his six-year NFL career out of San José State. He was drafted by the Bears in the sixth round back in 2014 and played with the club until 2015 and again briefly in 2016. Fales was most recently a member of the 2019 New York Jets, having been released only a few days ago.
Jones has some intrigue because of his powerful arm and his ability to make plays with his legs. He was drafted in the fourth round in 2016 out of Ohio State by the Buffalo Bills. Jones followed former Bills offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn to the Los Angeles Chargers when Lynn became the head coach. He most recently was on the 2019 Seattle Seahawks’ practice squad.
Finally, there is Osweiler. Will “Brocktober” happen in the Windy City this year? Osweiler is a much-maligned passer formerly of the Denver Broncos and the Houston Texans. He has also had stints with the 2017 Cleveland Browns practice squad and last played for the 2018 Miami Dolphins. He’s tall and he’s available.
In short, we have to expect the Bears to promote Bray to the 53-man roster from the practice squad if Trubisky misses significant time. However, one of those three, or one of those 10, names mentioned above could be a fit in Chicago if the Bears are that desperate. Simply put, the Bears need Trubisky to be healthy if they want any shot at making the NFC playoffs this fall.