Bears: What the quarterback room should look like in 2020

For those looking for the Chicago Bears to make a move at quarterback after a 3-4 start, you are in for a disappointing trade deadline.

The Chicago Bears needed to win this game against the Chargers on Sunday. Not only that, the team needed to make a statement. Unfortunately, they made a statement, but it was not a good one. Now fans are calling for the heads of Matt Nagy, Mitchell Trubisky and Ryan Pace.

All three of those guys will be a Chicago Bear in 2020, but the quarterback room of this team needs to change drastically. For one, the team will need to keep three guys on their active roster in 2020. Gone are the days of adding their third-string quarterback to the active roster from the practice squad only when an injury occurs.

Chase Daniel is going to be an unrestricted free agent after this year. Daniel was brought in to help teach the offense to Mitchell Trubisky. He was essentially another quarterbacks coach in the quarterback room. He has served his purpose, even if not successfully. Now his time in a Bears uniform must come to an end.

Tyler Bray also needs to go. He has not done enough to remain on this team. If he has not shown you enough to push to play after how poorly the quarterbacks ahead of him have played this season then he will never be good enough.

For those of you calling for Mitchell Trubisky’s head and want him gone, I am sorry to inform you that he will be here in 2020. Cutting him when he has a year left on his rookie contract makes absolutely no sense. Trubisky is on the books for just over $9 million dollars next season no matter if he is on the roster or not.

Now, what does Ryan Pace need to do as the team prepares for the 2020 season? First, he needs to bring in a veteran quarterback to replace Chase Daniel. Pace has two options here. The team can throw money at one of the better free-agent quarterbacks. Names of guys who are going to be available, who if signed would expect to start, include Eli Manning, Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota.

Should Ryan Pace throw money at any of these guys? Winston and Mariota are young enough that they could be the reset needed for this Bears offense. Unfortunately, I am not sure either one is a guarantee to play any better than Mitchell Trubisky has this season.

Winston has a big arm and can throw the ball deep. Unfortunately, he turns the ball over too often. Marcus Mariota has a history with Mark Helfrich as the quarterback of the Oregon Ducks. He has not made many big plays for the Tennessee Titans, but could a change of scenery be what he needs? I prefer Winston over Mariota if I had to pick one of these two.

There is no guarantee either of these two quarterbacks make it to free agency. The other approach Ryan Pace could consider is spending less money and bringing in a guy who is told he is being brought in to compete. This would include guys like Ryan Tannehill, Case Keenum or even Matt Moore.

Moore was on display last night for the Chiefs against the Packers. He knows the ins and outs of the Reid tree system and could make for a nice addition. If Moore keeps playing as he did versus the Packers though, he will probably not be available as the Chiefs will likely re-sign him.

The point here is that the Bears need to bring someone in who is going to either take over or compete with Mitchell Trubisky. If the Bears pay a top free-agent quarterback, then the next step is to draft a quarterback with one of their day three picks in the 2020 draft. If they bring in a guy to compete then they need to use a second-rounder on another quarterback.

Honestly, I am okay with them just using a second-round pick no matter what on a quarterback. Then you have an open competition between all three guys. You have Mitchell Trubisky, the free agent Pace signs to replace Daniel and the rookie draft pick they bring in to replace Bray. This, Bears fans, is what the quarterback room needs to look like in 2020, no matter how Trubisky finishes out the 2019 season.