What Chicago Bears fans should learn from Ryan Tannehill

Chicago Bears fans who are afraid to move on from Mitch Trubisky should look to Ryan Tannehill and Marcus Mariota

Chicago Bears fans likely had their televisions glued to Patrick Mahomes vs. DeShaun Watson this weekend. However, while fans were preoccupied with the past, a glimpse into handlings of the future could have been going on Saturday night.

As the Chicago Bears have a tough decision to make with their quarterback entering his third NFL season, Ryan Pace and company should have been watching the Tennessee Titans, and how they handled their quarterback situation.

The Tennessee Titans were a team who made the playoffs in 2017 with their young quarterback who they drafted with the second overall pick. They took a step back in 2018 and missed the playoffs, as their quarterback took a step back.

Marcus Mariota had injuries in 2018, players around him did not step up, and injuries occurred throughout the year. Mariota was not to blame solely for their 2018 season. However, the Titans also knew that they could not sit on their hands, and they traded for Ryan Tannehill.

The move did not shock the football world. It went unnoticed for a while, actually. However, sitting at 2-4, the Titans made the move to bench Mariota for Tannehill and saved their season. Sure, additions of rookie A.J. Brown and free-agent guard Rodger Saffold put the finishing touches on the offense. However, the final piece was finding the right quarterback at the right time.

You can say that Tannehill did not put the team on his back and win the last two playoff games for Tennessee. However, he did not turn the ball over, he made third-down completions and he pushed the ball down the field when needed.

The Chicago Bears need to take notice here. They can go back to Trubisky is 2020, but having a backup option such as Tannehill is needed.

When fans say, who out there do you trust to replace Trubisky, look at Tannehill.

Nobody thought Tannehill would come in and take this team to this type of height. However, the change in environment for Tannehill and quarterback for the Titans sparked both and sent this team on a run.

Andy Dalton is not flashy but has won games and been to the playoffs countless times. Fans will tell you that Dalton will never win a big game, so they might as well stick with Trubisky. This is the exact thing Titans fans said about Mariota and Tannehill.

It did not cost them the world to add Tannehill, as mentioned their draft and free agency additions helped as well. The same can be said for the Chicago Bears. However, whether it be a flashy name or a second chance shot such as Ryan Tannehill, the Bears need to do something. They need to look at the Titans and realize that competition at quarterback can go a long way.