What Mitchell Trubisky Can Do if He Loses QB Battle

With the Bears quarterback position conceded by many in advance to Nick Foles, it doesn't need to be the end of Mitchell Trubisky's involvement with the offense.

If it does in fact come down this way where Trubisky loses the starting job to Foles, it would definitely be within the capability of coach Matt Nagy to find ways to use some of Trubisky's unique skills not associated with reading defenses or even being accurate on downfield passes. As most Bears fans know, those are the two problems most often associated with Trubisky.

Trubisky's running ability almost makes him too good of a threat to have off the field.

"When he makes that decision where he does tuck the ball and turns himself into a running back, he's very dynamic with it," Lions coach Matt Patricia said of Trubisky prior to one of four straight losses his team has had to the Bears. "He's an extremely good athlete. He's fast, he has good burst and he also has a little bit of a suddenness to him where I think sometimes the defenders slow up and he hast that acceleration to kind of get away from them."

Nagy rarely needs an invitation to come up with gadget plays.

Is it possible Trubisky could become Nagy's very own version of Taysom Hill, the Saints' quarterback-in-waiting who may never get that chance now that they've brought in Jamies Winston?

Trubisky wouldn't be exactly the same as Hill. Trubisky isn't the power style of runner Hill is, although the two are almost the same size. Hill has Trubisky by 7 pounds at 222, and the two quarterbacks are 6-foot-2.

Hill reportedly is faster, but how much is anyone's guess because Hill's 40 time wasn't measured at a combine. It was done at a BYU pro day, and such times are rarely reliable. They had him at 4.44 in the 40, which seems extreme, possibly the result of a 38-yard dash.

Trubisky ran a 4.67, one of the faster times in the 40 at the combine for quarterbacks. He also ran an outstanding 4.87 in the three-cone drill at the combine.

In three seasons Trubisky has run for 862 yards on 157 carries. Hill has 352 yards on 64 carries in three seasons. Both average 5.5 yards per rush.

Imagine a pass out in the flat by Foles, a yard backward, and then a long pass from Trubisky downfield to Allen Robinson II or Anthony Miller, or a flea flicker with Trubisky throwing at the end or a statue-of-liberty pass play with Trubisky throwing.

Just because Foles might beat out Trubisky doesn't mean the Bears have to leave their 2017-19 starter on the sidelines.

Because Trubisky likely would be a free agent after the season if he lost the starting battle, there's little reason to hold back in terms of denying him chances to explore alternate uses.

It might not look exactly like Taysom Hill, but Trubisky's all-around athletic ability and running skills make him a potential danger for any defense as a shape-shifting gadget quarterback.