Chicago Bears quarterback Mitch Trubisky finds himself in deep waters after regressing in 2019.
Trubisky had initially been declared the starter after the season, only for the Bears to trade for Nick Foles in the offseason. Now, Trubisky finds himself preparing for a quarterback competition that could set the tone for Chicago's season in 2020.
But while some Bears fans have soured on the former No. 2 overall pick, Trubisky has a believer in Pittsburgh Steelers running back James Conner.
Conner played alongside Trubisky during his senior year of high school and then against his former teammate when Conner's Pitt team would square off against Trubisky's North Carolina Tar Heels.
The 25-year-old lauded Trubisky's work ethic during an appearance on Barstool Sports' “Pardon My Take” podcast, suggesting the signal-caller will be ready to go at the start of camp (transcription via Brendan Sugrue of USA TODAY):
“Make sure you’re not sleeping on my boy, Mitch though,” Conner said. “I think Mitch is going to come out hot this year. That’s my dog, I played Mitch [during] my senior year of high school. We’ve been going at it, you know Pitt vs. North Carolina, Steelers and Bears, even though I wasn’t playing that year…I know his work ethic, I know what he’s about to do so he’s going to come out fired up.”
Trubisky has already shown signs of being “fired up,” as Conner said. The Ohio native said he was “pissed off” when the Bears traded for Foles, adding he still feels like the Bears are his team.
Trubisky is already setting the stage for his own proving ground. For his part, Conner feels the competition will bring the best out of the Bears' incumbent starter.