By Jordan Long
On Sunday, the Chicago Bears face the Cleveland Browns. With Andy Dalton sidelined, Chicago will go with rookie Justin Fields who is making his first career start. The Bears’ backup in the game is Nick Foles. Foles is a veteran quarterback who has lost out since he won Super Bowl 52 and he was the MVP of the game. What has happened to him?
Foles bounced around the league since he won Super Bowl 52 for Philadelphia. He has been with Jacksonville and Chicago. He spent 2019 with the Jacksonville Jaguars splitting time with Gardner Minshew. Minshew went 6-6 in 2019 while Foles’ record was 0-4. Jacksonville finished the year 6-10. In his 4 starts, Foles passed for 736 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions.
Foles was then traded to the Chicago Bears on March 18th, 2020 for a 4th round selection. The Bears had a quarterback, Mitch Trubisky, as their starter. Foles knew he would serve as the veteran backup. Foles saw action in 7 games starting in place of Trubisky. It didn’t go well. The Bears went 2-5 in his starts. Foles threw for 1,852 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions.
In the offseason, Chicago let Trubisky test free agency. Trubisky agreed to a contract with the Buffalo Bills. It was clear Foles might have a chance at the starting position. They brought in Andy Dalton as a free agent and drafted Justin Fields. Foles needed to beat Dalton to earn the starting job. In preseason games, Dalton and Foles appeared in 2 games. Dalton ended 13 of 21 passing for 164 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. Foles’ stats were similar as he was 11 of 16 for 150 yards and 2 touchdowns. The difference between the two was Dalton faced 1st and 2nd stringers while Foles saw backups who were trying to make the opponents’ team
Chicago could have let Foles go when the preseason was over. They were set at the quarterback position with Dalton and Fields. Cutting him would have allowed Foles to find another team, maybe as the 2nd quarterback. He could even land on a practice squad. The Bears didn’t want to take that chance since he is a veteran quarterback.
Foles will be the backup this Sunday. It is possible if Fields struggles and the Bears aren’t doing much on the scoreboard, Foles may be put in the game. The offense could be better with him leading the charge.
Foles’ contract in Chicago has an option after this year. Depending on how the season goes, the Bears may decline his option for him to be a free agent. This would cost the team around $7.66 million in dead cap space. Foles should have the opportunity to show he is a starter or a backup in the NFL. Right now, he is buried in the depth chart for Chicago even though that Foles will be the backup against the Browns.
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