Experience
Perhaps one of the more underrated reasons for Trubisky’s potential leap in 2018 is the fact that he has a decent amount of experience to his name already. The other two first-round quarterbacks from 2017, Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes, have significantly less starting experience than Mitch Trubisky. Combined, both Watson and Mahomes played in seven games while taking only 486 snaps. Trubisky, on the other hand, played in 12 games while taking 724 snaps.
By playing in 12 games last season it gives Trubisky invaluable experience playing at the NFL level. He has 12 weeks of starter experience but also 12 weeks of what it’s like to practice as a professional week in and week out. He has the benefit of getting all those extra reps against NFL caliber talent, which will allow the game to slow down for him at a much faster rate than if he was starting off with no experience.
At a macro level, Trubisky’s 59.4 completion percentage for 2,193 yards and seven touchdowns would at first come across as a below average stat line from an NFL starting quarterback. However, if broken down to a micro level there are some very interesting data points to suggest Trubisky has the ability to perform at the very least as an above average quarterback in the NFL.
If you break down his season into thirds, Trubisky showed a steady improvement in not only attempts but in completion percentage too. During weeks five through eight Trubisky completed only 47.5 percent of his 20 attempts, but looking at weeks nine through twelve completed 60.18 percent of his 133 pass attempts. In the final third of his 12 games, Trubisky improved his completion percentage to 65.69 percent on 137 passing attempts. When looking at the data at this level it offers a much more positive sign that with increased experience Trubisky is adjusting and becoming much more comfortable as a starting quarterback in the NFL.
The Bears clearly have faith in Mitch Trubisky to make that Jared Goff type leap during his sophomore season. With the investment in talent both on the sideline and on the field, along with his own progression, there is plenty of hope in Chicago that Trubisky might finally be the franchise quarterback they’ve been looking for.
