Will Mitchell Trubisky rush more in 2018?

Mitchell Trubisky would like to run the ball himself more in 2018. Will he get that chance?

Mitchell Trubisky sat down with the folks at NFL Network for an inside minicamp episode. He was asked a plethora of questions including how much he was going to run the football and whether or not he wanted to run the football more.

You can scroll to the 29-minute mark of the video below to hear his answer.

Trubisky laughed off the first question a bit saying he did not know how much he was going to run in 2018. However, in the follow-up, when asked if he wanted to, he shot back a quick and emphatic “yes.”

Twice in his response, he talked about how him being a threat to run the football would be something that keeps the defense honest and added that it gives them more to worry about.

He went on to say that with more rushes would be the responsibility that he has to take care of the ball better and take care of his body better because he will be taking big hits.

However, based on the way he was talking it sounds as though he wants the ball in his hands more, and that Matt Nagy and Trubisky have talked about putting the ball in his hands more often.

One thing we are learning about Nagy is that he is obsessed with versatility, and having options in your back pocket. Three tight ends with varying skill sets, two running backs that differ completely and variations of wide receivers with specific skill sets.

The ideas that Trubisky is talking about when it comes to keeping the defense honest and giving them more to worry about plays into everything Nagy has done to build up this offense so far.

Add in that it sounds like protecting himself and the ball is already being jammed into his brain and there could be a case to make that one hidden wrinkle in this offense will be Trubisky carries.

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Athleticism

Some know it, but everyone should understand that Trubisky is a strong athlete. Look at his mockdraftable web. He is one of the faster quarterbacks to run the 40-yard dash at the combine and he is pretty fluid otherwise.

For quarterbacks, he is an above average athlete. Some of his best passing was on the run last season. On top of that, he ran the ball 93 times in his junior season. That is over 7 rushes per game. Trubisky had five rushing touchdowns and even caught a pass at UNC.

Projections

Mike Clay, who does the fantasy projections at ESPN has Trubisky rushing the ball 63 times in 2018. In 12 games last season, Trubisky ran the football 41 times. It is a slight uptick from 3.4 to 3.9 attempts per game.

However, it would not surprise me to see him well over 4 and closer to 4.5 rushes per game. This would be a smart wrinkle, one that Matt Nagy would be interested, and one that Mitchell Trubisky expressed interest in publicly.

Do not be surprised if Mitchell is on the move more in 2018.