After watching his offense sputter for four weeks, Bears head coach John Fox is making a change at quarterback.
The Bears are handing the reins to No. 2 overall pick Mitchell Trubisky, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Monday morning. ESPN first reported the development. The team later made the news official.
Speaking on WBBM-FM in Chicago on Monday, Fox said going with Trubisky was "a decision that needed to be made."
"He's got that maturity and confidence you have to have in that position," Fox said. "We didn't give ourselves a chance in two games. We have to change that."
Fox added general manager Ryan Pace was "in agreement" with the move to Trubisky.
Trubisky replaces Mike Glennon, who went 1-3 in four starts to open the season. Glennon was 93 of 140 (66.4 percent) for 833 yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions. Against the Packers on Thursday Night Football, Glennon seemed especially ineffective, throwing two interceptions in a 35-14 loss to the division rivals.
On comes Trubisky, who was a starter for all of one season at North Carolina. Over 13 games with the Tar Heels, Trubisky completed nearly 70 percent of his passes for 3,748 yards, 30 touchdowns and six interceptions. In the preseason, too, Trubisky shined enough to put Glennon on shaky ground from the get-go.
During Chicago's summer warmup slate, Trubisky was 36-of-53 passing for 364 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions.
This is a move the Bears could not wait any longer to make. Like every team, they envisioned their rookie quarterback sitting for a significant period of time, eventually earning the job or taking over in some type of Aaron Rodgers transition scenario. That pipe dream ended less than four games into the season.
Glennon's three-year, $45 million contract he signed this offseason did not make him untouchable. As the Bears have seen already with Deshaun Watson in Houston, the 2017 rookie quarterback class might be far better than analysts initially projected. Now, it's time for the Bears to find out if Trubisky can provide a similar spark.
Trubisky's debut will be on Monday Night Football against the Minnesota Vikings. Luckily for Fox, he had more than a week to prepare his staff and team.
