Nick Foles Trade May Not Be as Unpopular as Some Think
When the initial news broke regarding the Chicago Bears trading for quarterback Nick Foles, some fans in the Windy City expressed their disapproval of the acquisition for the nine-year veteran.
Most of their disagreements of the move was due to the fact that general manager Ryan Pace opted for Foles over free-agent quarterbacks such as Teddy Bridgewater, Philip Rivers, Marcus Mariota, and even Tom Brady. There were even possibilities of trading for Andy Dalton or Cam Newton, but Pace felt that Foles was the way to go.
After given some time to process this trade, it appears that more and more of the Chicago faithful are slowly accepting the addition of Foles. First off, there’s the fact that the one-time Pro Bowler has a history of success.
Foles did step in for an injured Carson Wentz while with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017 and led them to a victory in Super Bowl LII. In addition, he filled in for Wentz again in 2018 and beat the Bears in the wild card round of the playoffs at Soldier Field. So at the very least, he can be looked upon as a more reliable backup quarterback than Chase Daniel was.
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However, being a backup may not be the reason why Foles was brought to Chicago. Considering the new additions to the Bears’ coaching staff, the 31-year-old quarterback just might have a good chance at beating out Mitchell Trubisky for the starting spot.
During his first stint with the Eagles, Foles played under Matt Nagy when he was the offensive quality control coach for Philly in 2012. Later Nagy served as Foles’ offensive coordinator while with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2016. Bears new offensive coordinator Bill Lazor was the quarterbacks coach for the Eagles in 2013 with Foles on the roster, and Bears new quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo held the same position for Philadelphia when Foles was named MVP of Super Bowl LII.
Having so many familiar faces around, some fans are starting to believe that Foles just might be in the starting lineup come Week 1 of the 2020 season. Not only are fans feeling this way, but there are some former Bears who have expressed the same assumption.
Lance Briggs and Olin Kreutz have both chimed in with their opinion of the addition of Foles. Briggs, who is a University of Arizona product just like Foles, believes that his fellow Wildcat is an upgrade from Trubisky, and that he will win the starting quarterback spot. Briggs reacted on Twitter after ESPN Senior NFL Insider Adam Schefter reported the trade for Foles.
Anyone is better than a lone Trubisky starting Bears squad. Foles is my Arizona brother, he can get hot, we've seen before. He will read his coverages and make his throws.
— Lance Briggs (@LanceBriggs) March 18, 2020
Kreutz was a guest on NBC Sports Chicago’s Under Center Podcast on March 25, and stated his confidence saying that Foles will be the man for the Bears’ offense in 2020. “I just don’t see the competition. I think Nick Foles is the starter,” said Kreutz.
The possibility of Foles being Chicago’s starting quarterback is now more realistic after hearing that Pace and Nagy announced that there will be an “open competition” for the first-string QB spot. This upcoming QB battle is something that Trubisky has yet to see since entering the NFL in 2017.
Once he was named the Bears’ starter, Trubisky has never had to look over his shoulder in regards to his backups. This will be the first time as a pro that the second-overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft will have to fight for his job. Staring at the possibility of losing his spot just might be what Trubisky needs to bring out the best in him, or this could be what finally breaks the 25-year-old.
Either way, adding Foles to the mix this season seems to have given many fans some optimism when it comes to Chicago’s offense. It appears that there is a belief that Foles will either win the starting job, or lose the competition to Trubisky and still be a much more reliable backup than what the Bears have had in the past. And there’s even the possibility of Trubisky stinking up the joint and Foles coming in to save the season just like he did in Philly.
No matter what the scenario, Foles’ role on the Bears in 2020 will be vital, and will have a major impact on the outcome of what Chicago’s offense does this season.