Why Nick Foles Is No Lock to Start for Bears Opening Day

The big question facing the Bears at quarterback now is whether Nick Foles can beat out Mitchell Trubisky to start on opening day.

It might seem like a no-brainer, but anything if anything is possible with Foles it's that anything is possible.

Foles' career has been that of a journeyman, a modern day Earl Morrall who goes around from team to team. Just when he seems to be on top and in a good situation, something happens to yank out the rug from beneath his feet.

He's a clutch Super Bowl MVP, a quarterback who has flopped and been benched in favor of less accomplished players and he's playing on his fifth team in nine years.

The only thing in his career to suggest he can be more than someone who bounces around from team to team is how well he played once he hooked up with the Andy Reid style offense in Kansas City and Philadelphia with Bears coach Matt Nagy on staff. Yet, he also struggled as a rookie in that offense.

Morrall played with six teams in 21 NFL seasons, so obviously the 31-year-old Foles has a ways to go in terms of total longevity to match that record but is easily on pace to pass Morrall in number of different teams.

Morrall played played a full schedule as starter only twice in his 21 years. Foles has yet to start more than 11 games in a season.

Both led teams to championships. And both will have the title journeyman next to their name.

Here is Foles' journey. It doesn't reflect a franchise savior, but does say he is a tall (6-foot-6) passer who knows how to quickly find tight ends and backs for percentage completions. And he can be the player who comes in at a moment's notice and leads a team to victories, but then fades away completely a year later.

It doesn't say he'll come in and beat out Trubisky to start.

The Start

Foles was drafted by Houston with the 88th pick in Round three but traded then to the Eagles with DeMeco Ryans for a third-round pick and fourth-round pick. As a rookie, he came on in Week 9 during an eight-game losing streak for Andy Reid's team after starter Michael Vick suffered a concussion. Foles finished a 38-23 and remained at quarterback. He would have finished out the season as starter but suffered a hand injury and went on injured reserve for the finale while Vick returned for the regular-season finale. Foles posted a typical season for a rookie forced into starting for a struggling team. The Eagles won once in his seven games played. He averaged only 6.4 yards a pass attempt, posted a poor 79.1 passer rating and threw six touchdown passes in seven total games with five interceptions. With just five interceptions in 265 attempts, his 1.9% interception rate was strong. Then Reid's staff, which included Doug Pederson and Matt Nagy, was fired. Foles was left as one of the backups to Vick under new coach Chip Kelly and offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur.

The Rise

Foles got a few snaps early in relief during a lopsided loss, then gave a strong indication he could be an NFL success by replacing Vick after a hamstring injury in Week 5 and posting an incredibly strong season. Foles turned around the Eagles' fortunes. He beat the Giants 36-25 in Week 5 when he relieved Vick and completed 16 of 25 for two TDs, then went on to help Philadelphia finish 9-3 after a 1-3 start. They made the playoffs and lost to Akiem Hicks and the Saints in Round 1 of the playoffs at home, 26-24. What Foles did best was avoid turnovers and make the right decisions. With Vick playing, they had seven turnovers in the first four games. They averaged just one for the last 12 games. He made the Pro Bowl, averaged a phenomenal league-high 9.1 yards per pass attempt, and had a spectacular league-high passer rating of 119.2. Philadelphia's defense gave up 34.5 points in the first four games with a low of 26, but once playing in conjunction with a more efficient offense and quarterback they gave up 20.3 points a game. Foles was set up as the Eagles' QB of the future after his 10 starts.

The Injury

A Day 1 starter for the first time, Foles led the Eagles to a 6-2 start and the offense was averaging 29.5 points when Whitney Mercilus sacked him and broke his collarbone. It wouldn't be Foles' last broken collarbone. His statistical breakdown was nowhere near what it had been in 2013. Philadelphia was winning with defense and a running game and short, efficient passing to backs and tight ends. Foles averaged 7.0 yards an attempt with an 81.4 passer rating. By comparison, Mitchell Trubisky's passer rating was 83.0 last year when his production dropped. The Eagles finished 4-4 without Foles starting and didn't make the playoffs at 10-6.

The Trade

For the second time, Foles was traded. This time it happened at the outset of free agency on March 10, 2015 as he was shipped with a fourth-round draft pick and second-round 2016 draft pick to the St. Louis Rams for a fifth-round draft pick, a conditional 2016 draft pick and quarterback Sam Bradford. It was a change that took Foles downward into a spiral. The Rams went 7-9 under Jeff Fisher in a struggling offense under Frank Cignetti, who was fired and replaced by Rob Boras. The Rams finished last in passing yards and Foles didn't seem to fit well within the attack. Foles got benched after he completed 17 of 36 with an interception for 200 yards in a home game. The Rams defense gave up a 19-of-24 effort for 258 yards with three touchdowns in that game, a 37-13 defeat. The quarterback who shredded them was Jay Cutler and the defense that completely dominated the Rams was coached by Vic Fangio. That was John Fox's first Bears team. Foles came out of the game and was replaced by Case Keenum. Keenum played one game, the Rams went back to Foles for two games after Keenum started one game. Foles threw four interceptions and no touchdowns in those games while completing 45 of 81 against Cincinnati and Arizona and never played for them again. Observers blamed some of his problems on a poor offensive line, but Foles was sacked just 14 times in 11 games.

The Epiphany

Now in Los Angeles, the Rams cut Foles at the outset of training camp the next season and Andy Reid's Chiefs signed him a week later to a one-year contract. "I wouldn't still be playing football without that season with the Chiefs," Foles later told ESPN. "I was about to step away from the game and retire, just take a break and pursue other things in life." When Foles arrived at Kansas City's airport after signing, he was greeted by Nagy, who was the Chiefs quarterbacks coach. They worked on restoring Foles' confidence and he had to play in Week 8 against the Colts after Alex Smith suffered a concussion. Foles stepped in, threw two touchdown passes and was 16 of 22 for 223 yards in a 30-14 victory. Nagy told ESPN after Foles threw the first TD pass in that game, "We just looked at each other and said, 'Nick is back.' " In the following game Foles started against Jacksonville and led a 19-14 win with a touchdown pass on 20 of 33 for 187 yards. Then Smith returned. Foles wanted to stay with the Chiefs but their cap situation dictated otherwise and he signed on with Doug Pederson's Eagles.

Depths and the Peak

The picture of Foles holding the Lombardi Trophy and Super Bowl MVP trophy for the Eagles is the lasting one for this season, a defining career moment. First, though, Foles took a step back when he played for the Eagles as Carson Wentz's replacement. He came on against the Rams when Wentz suffered a season-ending ACL tear and finished out a 42-35 win with 6 of 10 for 42 yards. His passer rating for the four games to close the regular season was a forgettable 76.9 and his yards per attempt a microbial 4.96. But he eliminated mistakes, threw five touchdown passes with just two interceptions and the Eagles still won his first two starts. The playoffs started and it was like turning on a switch. He made the phenomenal three-game run with 72.6% passing, six touchdown passes, one interception and 9.16 yards per attempt. The Eagles beat the Falcons, Vikings and finally New England in the Super Bowl. It was an incredible 41-33 win over Tom Brady using a journeyman quarterback.

To the Rescue ... Again

Foles again was backup with Wentz healed but he had to start the first two games first as Wentz was still recovering from the knee injury. The Eagles won despite a poor outing by Foles in the opener and then lost to Tampa Bay in a game when he played well. Then it was back to the bench while Wentz was suffering through a mediocre year. A back injury sidelined Wentz, and in came Foles to win three starts and generate momentum going into the playoffs. Foles didn't have the best game against a dominant Bears defense at Soldier Field on Jan. 6, 2019, completing 25 of 40 for 266 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. However, he had the fourth-down pass on an out pattern to Golden Tate to put the Eagles ahead for good. In the following playoff game, Foles had the Eagles in position to try and overtake the Saints but Alshon Jeffery had a pass he could have caught bounce off his hands for an interception to seal New Orleans' win.

Cash, Clavicle and Collapse

The Jaguars gave Foles an $88 million deal with $51.125 million guaranteed in free agency and he was reunited with Eagles quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo, who was Jacksonville offensive coordinator. It was a difficult season for the Jaguars, leading to the dismantling of their proud defense. Foles threw a touchdown pass in the opener against the Chiefs to get the Jaguars within 10-7 but Chris Jones fell on him and he suffered a broken clavicle. Foles returned in Week 11 after Gardner Minshew had played in his absence. He wasn't sharp, and the Jaguars' offensive line and defense were even worse as they lost 33-13 to the Colts, 42-20 to Tennessee and 28-11 to the Bucs. They shut down Foles and brought back Minshew to finish up. Foles' limited playing time produced 65.8$ completions, but only 6.29 yards an attempt and an 84.6 passer rating.

Windy City Savior

He'll be reunited with Nagy, with DeFilippo and in an offense he knows well, as he either tries to beat out Mitchell Trubisky or waits for what seems like an inevitable slip up.

Foles already has restructured his contract according to Adam Schefter of ESPN, and the three years of his contract included $21 million guaranteed. But he now has the ability to void the deal after two years.

It could be he has found a home.

It could also be just another stop for a journeyman quarterback.

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