More important this year than ever
The Chicago Bears made a trade for Nick Foles on March 18. This was two days after the state of Illinois announced the COVID-19 shutdown. The Bears have plenty of medical professionals at their disposal. Although I am not sure many would have predicted we would still be shut down throughout the month of May, most teams probably knew that the offseason would not be like any other teams had experienced in the past.
Leading up to the start of free agency, the Bears were rumored to be targeting Andy Dalton in trade discussions. Many thought it would take as high as a second-round pick, but most of us also would not have given more than a fifth or sixth-round pick for Dalton. This value was mainly because we all knew the Bengals would not keep Dalton after they picked Joe Burrow in the 2020 NFL Draft. Well, this happened exactly as predicted.
It did not take long for Dalton to find a new job. Even before he signed, most Bears fans were upset that the team traded away a fourth-round pick for Foles. Not only are the Bears on the hook for $21 million dollars, but the team also chose a quarterback many found to be less talented than Dalton. I too believe Dalton is a more talented quarterback. I also believe Jameis Winston is more talented. Cam Newton is more talented too, but I am not touching him coming off his injury.
The Bears may not have known the offseason may not happen at all, but the team definitely knew it would not be normal and the time players have would be limited. The team could not afford to try to teach a quarterback a brand new system. Although not exactly the same, at least Foles is familiar with Nagy’s offense and language.