Denver Broncos quarterbacks: Making the pitch for Mitch (Trubisky)
Free agent quarterback Mitchell Trubisky is an intriguing player who the Denver Broncos should show interest in as their starter for 2022.
The Mitchell Trubisky era in Chicago ended in 2020. The 2017 draft pick then found himself in Buffalo, backing up Josh Allen. Trubisky is going to be a popular name when free agency begins for teams looking to add a quarterback. The Denver Broncos would be wise to inquire about his services if they cannot trade for Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson.
The name Mitchell Trubisky hardly inspires confidence in anyone. His first 4 years in the NFL with the Chicago Bears were up and down, but mostly down. In 2018, an efficient Trubisky led the Bears to a 12-4 record and an NFC playoff berth.
If it wasn’t for the double doink, maybe the Bears would have gone even farther in the postseason.
The Bears decided to move on from Trubisky after the 2020 season, drafting Justin Fields out of Ohio State. Fields, in his rookie season, was significantly worse than Trubisky was in his rookie season, but that’s for a different story.
Mitchell Trubisky took the smart road out of Chicago, signing with the Buffalo Bills to be the backup to Josh Allen. This was a very wise move, as it allowed Trubisky to learn from both Josh Allen, and former Bills’ offensive coordinator Brian Daboll for a year.
Now, with a plethora of teams needing a signal-caller, Trubisky has positioned himself nicely to potentially acquire a pay raise and a starting job.
The name might not move the needle for anyone, but I think Mitchell Trubisky is a smart option for Denver as a starter.
Firstly, Broncos insider Benjamin Allbright seems to indicate that Trubisky is going to be a hot name on the free agent market.
But why is that? What has Trubisky done that would give him some momentum heading into 2022? To me, it’s not about what he did or didn’t do, it’s about what he had to deal with.
You see, I think most of us can agree that the previous Chicago Bears’ coaching staff led by former head coach Matt Nagy was one of the more incompetent staffs in recent NFL history.
Between the mess inside the building, Nagy’s on-the-field product never seemed to show any semblance of consistency or competency. The Bears’ offense from 2019-2021 ranked anywhere from 22nd overall to 29th overall.
The Bears had 2 offensive coordinators during this short 3-year stretch, never averaging more than 23 points per game. Not only that, Nagy’s defense after 2018 took a plunge, going from being the 1st overall unit in 2018, down to the 22nd ranked scoring defense in 2021.
2021 was the rock bottom year, where the Bears endured their worst season in the 4 year Nagy area, both on offense and defense.
That just so happens to be the year that the team moved off of Trubisky and decided to draft another quarterback.
What was Mitch Trubisky’s on-field output, though?
During his 3 year stint in the Nagy era, Trubisky passed for 57 touchdowns and 30 interceptions. He enjoyed a 25-13 record during his 38 games played from 2018-2020.
Let’s do some math and see what Trubisky’s average yearly output would then be over a 17 game season.
During the 2018-2020 seasons, Trubisky averaged 1.5 touchdown passes per game, which would round to 26 touchdowns per season.
His interception average was .78 picks per game, which ends up being 13 per season.
His completion percentage during this time averaged out to be 65.6, and factoring in his average passing yards, completions, and attempts, Trubisky’s passer rating was 92.3 during this stretch in Chicago.
I understand none of these numbers are particularly good, but they’re solid by any metric used, and given the situation Trubisky was in while playing in Chicago, it makes me wonder how much better he could be in a situation where the roster is stronger and the coaching is competent.
There is no guarantee that the Denver Broncos are going to magically figure it out just because we hired Nathaniel Hackett, but I would say there’s a good chance that Hackett ends up being a stronger head coach than Matt Nagy was.
Denver also has a loaded offensive roster, and both draft picks and cap space to fill their needs on defense.
Trubisky isn’t going to will teams to victory like Joe Burrow or Patrick Mahomes, but I think Denver presents an ideal situation for the player to enjoy some career years.
If the Denver Broncos do end up signing Mitchell Trubisky, don’t be shocked if he plays well.