Mitchell Trubisky is set to enter the 2017 season as the backup to Mike Glennon. The question among Chicago Bears fans is how long before the No. 2 overall pick sees game action.
With Trubisky getting just 13 starts at North Carolina, he needs as many live reps as possible.
During Tuesday's minicamp, coach John Fox was asked if he would consider a "Trubisky package" to ensure the first-round pick got some experience this season. Fox decided to conjure up his time with Tim Tebow in Denver.
"I've been around situations like that before, back in my time at Denver even with Tebow," Fox said, via the Chicago Tribune. "We're going to do whatever we can. As coaches, we got to put guys in positions where they can utilize their skill set, and it won't be any different this year."
That was neither an acknowledgment that he'd like to get Trubisky his own package, nor a comparison between his rookie and Tebow, who owned a very different skill set. In truth, inserting Trubisky in for a few plays here or there as a rookie makes little sense for a player who needs a boatload of reps to get used to reading NFL defenses.
The question of how long Glennon holds on to the starting gig will hover over the franchise all summer and into the fall. That's merely the byproduct of selecting a quarterback with the second pick.
Opinions will differ on what the best course will be for Trubisky. Ex-Bears quarterback-turned-analyst Jay Cutler is already on record saying Chicago shouldn't toss the rookie into the fire if the season starts out as a disaster.
Redshirt years are few and far between in today's NFL, especially for first-round picks, so expect Trubisky to see the field at some point. The rookie isn't rushing anything, however.
"I would say they're definitely giving me room to grow, which is nice, so they're not rushing me," Trubisky said, per the Chicago Sun-Times. "So I don't feel any pressure. They're not putting pressure on me.
"But I'm putting pressure on myself, trying to be ready as soon as possible, so if they ever need me, I can go in there. But that's just how I am. I'm a perfectionist and am going to try to get it right the first time and keep improving every time."
How much information Trubisky soaks up the rest of summer and how he performs during training camp and preseason will indicate how soon he becomes the Bears' full-time starter, regardless of what sort of "package" is installed beforehand.
