The rookie quarterback the Bears gave up a ton to draft is going to get a brutal introduction to the NFL
On Monday ESPN's Adam Schefter and Dan Graziano reported that rookie Mitch Trubisky will be taking over for Mike Glennon as the starter for the Chicago Bears in Week 5. The move comes after the Bears paid a handsome sum in the 2017 NFL Draft to move up one spot in order to take the young quarterback out of UNC.
Sitting at 1-3 and last place in the NFC North, Trubisky will have to climb quite the mountain to climb to bring the Bears back into the playoff picture, and his first two games are anything but an easy start.
Trubisky's debut will be at home under the brightest lights in the league - Monday Night Football against the stout defense of the Minnesota Vikings. After that, Trubisky will play his first NFL road game in Baltimore against the Ravens, who sport one of the most dominant home-field advantages in the league.
It's a rough stretch of games for any quarterback, but feel especially daunting for a rookie making his NFL debut. If the Vikings fourth-ranked run defense can shut down the Bears two most effective offensive weapons in Jordan Howard and Tarik Cohen, Trubisky might be forced to give up the role of "game manager" in favor of playing a bit of hero ball himself in his debut. And as ESPN's Bill Barnwell noted before the season, the Ravens have had one of the strongest home field advantages across the league in recent history.
Trubisky's schedule doesn't get much easier from there, with games against the Panthers, Packers, Lions, and Eagles all coming up in the next two months.
Trubisky will be the third rookie to make his debut this season, with DeShone Kizer of the Browns struggling out of the gate and Deshaun Watson leading the Texans back to 2-2 after winning the starting job from Tom Savage after Week 1.
Making his debut on Monday Night Football, Trubisky already finds himself in impressive company.
We've seen rookies have success in the league right out the gate, most recently from Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys last season, and Trubisky looked solid in the preseason action he had earlier in the year. But facing down a tough defense on national television before going on the road to take on one of the most dominant home teams in recent memory, Trubisky is not going to have a lot of time to get his sea legs under him.