Bears GM says it didn't 'align for us' to take a quarterback in the 2020 NFL Draft
It will remain a two-way battle for the right to start in Chicago
The quarterback position for the Chicago Bears is seemingly in flux entering 2020. Former No. 2 overall pick Mitchell Trubisky regressed in his third season, they have yet to pick up his fifth-year option and Chicago also went out and traded for former Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles.
While the Bears had two quarterbacks who will battle for the right to start this season, many did not rule out that Matt Nagy and Co. would take another quarterback in the 2020 NFL Draft. It was an interesting class that included prospects with potential in all seven rounds, plus, it is unknown how much time Trubisky has left with the Bears or if the 31-year-old Foles is going to be the long-term answer under center. Still, Chicago elected to not take a quarterback last week.
On Saturday, Bears general manager Ryan Pace addressed the Bears' decision not to draft a developmental signal-caller -- even with prospects like Jake Fromm out of Georgia taking a tumble down draft boards.
"It just has to align for us," Pace said, via the Chicago Tribune. "Every draft, different positions, there are strengths and weaknesses. But for us to take any position, it just has to align for us the right way. So sometimes there's players we like at that position, and the board doesn't fall that way for us. That's what happened for this draft, and we're OK with it because we came away with seven players that we're really excited about."
A total of 13 quarterbacks were taken in the 2020 NFL Draft, and they went as late as the No. 244 pick. It's interesting when Pace says that it didn't "align" for them, since that could mean they were targeting one of the top five quarterbacks in the class if they fell to the third round or so. It obviously didn't work out that way, as the Green Bay Packers shocked the NFL world by taking former Utah State quarterback Jordan Love in the first round and then Jalen Hurts out of Oklahoma was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round. If one of those players fell to the third round or so, the Bears might have been interested.
Then again, it wasn't absolutely necessary for the Bears to take a quarterback in this class -- it might be something they address next year. They have to figure out if Trubisky is the answer in 2020, and if not, they have a backup quarterback who won Super Bowl MVP just a few seasons ago behind him to step in if need be.
















