The Bears' QB is going to be Trubisky's job sooner or later. But when?

With an 0 and 2 start, people are already talking about benching Mike Glennon in favor of number 2 overall pick Mitch Trubisky. The writer at ESPN dismisses concerns about sparing Trubisky's health and psyche. "You can't seal him up with bubble wrap", says Jeff Dickerson. Apparently, coach John Fox disagrees.

I wasn't a fan of signing Glennon, and drafting Trubisky just confused me. But since the Bears drafted him as the obvious QB of the future, I want to see Trubisky play. More importantly, though, I want him to succeed.

If Trubisky is the starting quarterback in week 3's matchup against the Steelers, he'll be taking over a team that doesn't seem to have any weapons for him to work with. The receiving corps is depleted by injuries, with both Cameron Meredith and Kevin White being done for the season. Pro bowl guard Kyle Long is also still uncertain to be ready for the Steelers game. Missing Kyle Long might also be part of the reason that even Jordan Howard has been unproductive the first two weeks...

I was a little late at seeing the Bears' first 2017 preseason game. I had meant to record it Thursday evening and watch it later that night. Instead, my DVR recorded two hours of A Football Life instead of the game. I don't know if this was NFL Network's fault for airing the wrong show, or if it was Century Link's fault for mislabeling the schedule. In any case, I had to wait to record the re-broadcast later Saturday morning and watch it Saturday night.

I've been pretty vocal about my confusion with the Bear's offseason quarterback decisions. While I wasn't sorry to see Jay Cutler kicked to the curb, I was very unsure about signing Mike Glennon. I was even more dumbfounded by the Bears' decision to trade up to draft Trubisky after having already spent all that money on Glennon.

Glennon didn't give fans reason to be optimistic, as his preseason debut went about as bad as it could possibly go. His second pass of the game was intercepted by Chris Harris Jr. and returned for a touchdown.

Mike Glennon's second pass was intercepted by Chris Harris Jr. and returned for a TD.

In Glennon's defense, the offensive line wasn't doing him many favors. He seemed to be getting hit every time he dropped back. While Chris Harris Jr. was high-stepping the pick into the end zone, Glennon was peeling himself off the turf. If the Bears want Glennon (or any quarterback they decide to field) to be successful, then they're going to need to beef up their protection.

Cody Whitehair, in particular made a key mistake by snapping the ball over Glennon's head during the Bears' second possession. The ball was recovered by the Broncos, but the Bears' defense managed to hold them from scoring.

Cody Whitehair snapped the ball
over Glennon's head.

The Bears' third drive was where they were finally able to move the ball for the first time in the evening thanks mostly to their running game. Jordan Howard only got a few runs, but rookie Tarik Cohen made some pretty good runs that may earn him some extra play-time and maybe a spot on the final roster. Down 10-0, Glennon ended his night in the early second quarter with only two completions on eight attempts, with the pick-six and a quarterback rating of 0.0 -- yes, that's zero point zero!

Mark Sanchez didn't see much playing time, but I think the coaches probably have a pretty good idea of what Sanchez brings to the team...

The Chicago Bears confused analysts and fans Thursday night when they traded up with San Francisco to draft North Carolina quarterback Mitchell Trubisky 2nd overall in the 2017 NFL draft. Analysts, fans, and even myself thought that the Bears would likely take one of the elite defensive players such as Jamaal Adams (safety), Marshon Lattimore (corner), or Solomon Thomas (defensive end). It was unlikely that Myles Garrett would still be on the board at no. 3, but at least one or two of those other players would be.

The Chicago Bears traded up with the 49ers to draft NCU QB Mitch Trubisky no. 2 overall.

The Bears desperately need help in their defensive secondary, especially considering the elite passers that are in their division (Aaron Rodgers, Matt Stafford, and maybe even Teddy Bridgewater if he returns healthy). They did pick up Prince Amukamara (CB), Markcus Cooper (CB), and Quintin Demps (S) in free agency to add some depth, but they still need more help at those positions. If a safety or corner wasn't available, then an elite pass rusher that could pressure those rival QBs would be the next best thing. The Bears offense actually moved the ball pretty well towards the end of the season, scoring 20 or more points in 4 of their last 5 games. The problem was their defensive was giving up 30 or 40 points.

I'm not complaining about drafting Trubisky. I like the pick, and the Bears need a quarterback. I just think that the Bears have severely overpaid for it considering their earlier offseason moves, and that a defensive star should have been higher priority. Everyone seemed to think that the 49ers were going for Solomon Thomas -- or maybe Jamaal Adams. And, in fact, the 49ers did use their number 3 overall pick to get Thomas after all. So it seems (on the surface) that Trubisky would still be there for the Bears at number 3 if the Bears wanted him.

Maybe the Bears were tipped off that someone like the Jaguars were offering a trade with San Fran to get Trubisky? Maybe the Jags were worried about Chicago picking Trubisky at number 3 and wanted to leapfrog to get him? Or maybe the Jets were looking to trade up? That's the only way that this trade makes sense. Or maybe the 49ers outright swindled the Bears? The Bears gave up this year's third and fourth round picks, as well as another third round pick next year, so this was a pretty costly trade considering they only moved up one spot, and the 49ers got a super-sweet deal. They got the guy they wanted all along, and they get two more mid-draft picks to fill other needs or as capital to trade.

What this tells me is that the Bears still have no real clue what they're doing at quarterback. They already committed a huge amount of money to get backup quarterback Mike Glennon ...

Jay Cutler is out, and former Buccaneer Mike Glennon is in.

The Chicago Bears have wasted no time in making major roster shake-ups in the 2017 off season. In a long-overdue move, Chicago finally released quarterback Jay Cutler. He was still under contract, so the Bears will suffer a salary cap hit, but it shouldn't hurt their ability to sign players at needed positions.

Hoyer and Barkley will still
be teammates in San Fran.

To replace Cutler, the Bears signed two-year Tampa Bay backup quarterback Mike Glennon to a 3-year contract worth roughly $45 million. It's a high price to pay for an unproven player who's already been benched in his career. Glennon has been praised for his arm strength and intelligence, but he hasn't handled pressure very well and his accuracy is questionable. Pressure will be a problem too, as the Bears have been in the bottom half of the league in sacks allowed for quite a few years now. Though at least some of those sacks can probably be attributed to Jay Cutler holding onto the ball too long. But Glennon is young and has plenty of room to develop; whereas, Cutler has been a pretty known quantity for quite some time now

The Bears also lost backups Bryan Hoyer and Matt Barkley to the 49ers, leaving Connor Shaw (who was injured last preseason) as the only current backup going into the NFL Draft in April...