Earl Bennett: “We May Have Seen The Last Of Mitch”

Last year people would've laughed at the idea Chase Daniel was in any way a threat to Mitch Trubisky. It's amazing how quickly things can change. Already a former NFL MVP in Boomer Esiason stated that the Chicago Bears offense looked better with Daniel at the helm than it did Trubisky. Now there is a growing movement of people who think the door is open for the veteran backup to potentially seize control of the starting job. One of them being Earl Bennett

Yes, really.

The former Bears wide receiver has followed the team closely since retiring. He has a firm grasp of what the quarterback situation is like. He also knows something about the potential issue that head coach Matt Nagy could face. Bennett was in Chicago in 2013 when Josh McCown had to relieve an injured Jay Cutler during the season. McCown went on to play the best football of his career, throwing 13 touchdowns to just one interception and posting a 3-2 record.

This led many to argue head coach Marc Trestman should've stuck with him as the starter. It was clear the offense just functioned better with him under center. Trestman didn't heed the calls. Cutler returned to play the final three games of the year, throwing six touchdowns and four interceptions while posting a 1-2 record. The Bears missed the playoffs as a result. Bennett foresees a similar controversy developing if Daniel plays really well in Trubisky's absence.

Earl Bennett has a point but it's still unlikely Daniel ascends

Bennett overlooks a key factor in this assessment. Daniel may not have two games to make that impression. The Bears played the Raiders on Sunday in London. Then they have their bye week. This means Trubisky could return after missing just one game, albeit in a shoulder harness. That narrows the margin for error considerably. Not only would Daniel have to play well against Oakland, he'd have to play really well. As of now, there's zero signs that Nagy or the coaching staff see him as a better option than Trubisky.

Anything is possible of course. Backups have overtaken starters many times in the past. Trubisky may have a talent advantage, but he hasn't built up enough clout to make him bulletproof against competition. That being said, the odds of Daniel actually taking over are slim at best. He's smart, experienced, and runs the system well. However, he simply isn't capable of taking things beyond the design. He can't make things happen when there's a breakdown.

This is something Trubisky does well. The Bears have to stick by him the rest of the year, in spite of his frustrating inconsistencies.