The 2020 season will be a make or break season for Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky as he currently battles veteran Nick Foles for the starting quarterback role. Trubisky is entering the final year of his rookie contract as the Bears have already declined his fifth-year option making him a free agent following 2020. The embattled quarterback's situation is eerily familiar to cornerback Kyle Fuller's situation back in 2017 and could serve as a precursor for this season.
Fuller and Trubisky's careers are very similar to one another due to the amount of excitement generated in their rookie seasons and how they failed to live up to that excitement in the following years. Chicago's Pro-Bowl cornerback was drafted with the 15th selection in the 2014 NFL Draft with analyst viewing as one of the best secondary prospects in the draft that year. Trubisky was projected as one of the best quarterback prospects in 2017 as some mock drafts had him being selected first overall in the draft.
In 2014, Fuller would make his memorable debut in front of a primetime audience during the Bears' week two game against the San Francisco 49ers. With Pro-Bowl cornerback Charles Tillman sidelined with a triceps injury, the rookie cornerback would record two interceptions in the fourth quarter leading to Chicago's 28-20 victory. A week later, Fuller would record another interception on Monday Night Football as the Bears beat the Jets 27-19. Bears' fans believed that the former Virginia Tech cornerback was on his way to being the Defensive Rookie of the Year. Fuller's play tapered off as Chicago's defense struggled, as he wouldn't record another interception until the last game of the season.
With the Bears' rebuilding in 2015, Fuller was expected to improve on his rookie season. His sophomore season lacked improvement as he intercepted just two passes. Things would get worse in 2016 as he missed the entire due to a controversial knee injury. After being placed on injured reserved following week three, Fuller returned to practice in late-November but was never activated to play.
Heading into 2017, the team declined his fifth-year option and signed veteran cornerbacks Marcus Cooper and Prince Amukamara to be the team's starting cornerbacks. Fuller at risk of being cut at the start of the preseason. An injury that kept Amukamara sidelined gave him a got a second chance as he was able to impress in the preseason. The fourth-year cornerback would continue to impress as a starter in 2017 registering 61 tackles, 22 passes defended, and two interceptions. Fuller played terrific as he guarded some of the best wide receivers in the league that season including Julio Jones, Antonio Brown, A.J. Green, and Michael Thomas.
General manager Ryan Pace believed that Fuller's 2017 season was not a fluke and signed the cornerback to a lengthy new contract. The new contract paid off as the Bears won the division in 2018 with one of the best defenses in the league as Fuller intercepted six passes, and was named to the Pro-Bowl.
Despite fans disapproving of Trubisky's selection initially in 2017, the quarterback proved his critics wrong during the first preseason game against the Broncos. His success in the preseason led to many wanting then head coach John Fox to promote the rookie to starter over quarterback Mike Glennon. Trubisky would become the team's starting quarterback in week five and would remain the starter for the rest of the season. Although his numbers were not the best compared to other rookie quarterbacks, Chicago's rookie quarterback did enough to make many believe they made the right selection.
Unlike Fuller's sophomore season, Trubisky's play improved immensely in 2018 as he threw 24 touchdown passes and was the first Bears quarterback to be named to the Pro Bowl since 1985. It was this reason why many viewed him as a potential MVP candidate heading into last season. Unfortunately, Trubisky and the Bears offense disappointed as a majority of his numbers dropped significantly compared to 2018. The team would finish 8-8, and his play led to the team trading for Foles during the offseason.
The best outcome Bears fans could wish for is that Trubisky can find the same success in the final year of his rookie contract that Fuller did three years ago. If the former second overall selection can find any success similar to the team's top cornerback, the Bears will make the playoffs in 2020. Pace would love to face the problem of having to re-sign Trubisky following a successful season rather than having to sign a free agent quarterback or draft a quarterback because his most significant selection failed to live up to expectations. What Fuller went through in 2017 should serve as a reminder for those ready to give up on the team's starting quarterback before the start of the season.
