The Bears once believed in Mitchell Trubisky. They believed in him so much that they traded the No. 3, 67 and 111 overall choices in 2017 as well as a 2018 third-rounder to the 49ers to move up one spot to draft him.
Trubisky lasted four seasons and 50 starts, and now, the Bears are back where they have been for many years -- still in search of a franchise quarterback. Trubisky is in Buffalo, having signed a one-year deal to back up Josh Allen.
On Friday, Bears coach Matt Nagy publicly closed the book on Trubisky’s career in Chicago, wishing him well.
“I’m indebted to Mitch and what he’s done for so many different reasons,” Nagy said, via Chris Emma of 670 The Score. “It’s hard to go through these processes. I care so much about him. It didn’t work out here.
“For different reasons, it didn’t work out. But I certainly appreciate the way that he handled everything.”
The Bears also made clear they consider Dalton an upgrade over Trubisky.
Dalton, 33, played last season for the Cowboys after nine seasons in Cincinnati. He has started 142 regular-season games and four in the postseason.
“That’s one of the areas of our team where we feel like we’re improving,” Pace said of the decision to replace Trubisky with Dalton.
The Bears finished 29th in scoring in 2019 and 22nd last season.