QB Carousel: How Does Mitchell Trubisky Fit with the Colts?

After a year as the backup in the Buffalo, will the Colts give the former No. 2 overall pick a second chance as a starter?

Andrew Moore | Mar 14, 2022

The NFL offseason is about to kick into high gear.

Today at noon ET, the legal tampering period begins around the league. While it has undoubtedly been happening for a while now, Monday marks when teams can reach out to free agents and begin negotiating deals for 2022 and beyond.

For the Indianapolis Colts, many will be paying attention to what happens at the quarterback position.

In a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Wednesday, he revealed the Colts had agreed to trade quarterback Carson Wentz to the Washington Commanders for a 2022 third-round pick and a 2023 third-round pick that becomes a second-round pick if Wentz plays at least 70% of the Commanders’ offensive snaps in 2022. Both teams also swapped 2022 second-round picks, moving the Colts up five spots to No. 42 overall.

The trade officially marks the end of the Wentz era in Indianapolis. After giving up first and third-round picks to acquire Wentz, the Colts have moved on after one disappointing season and begin their search for a new signal-caller.

So, as the QB Carousel begins to spin, who will the Colts turn to at quarterback in 2022?

The next candidate in the series is former Chicago Bears and Buffalo Bills quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. While Trubisky spent last season as the backup to Josh Allen with the Bills, he was the starter for the Bears the four years prior. He averaged 253-of-394 (64.2%) for 2,652 yards, 16 touchdowns, nine interceptions, and a passer rating of 87.4. Trubisky went 29-21 in four years as the Bears’ starter.

Will Trubisky get a second chance as the starter in Indy? Let’s take a look at his fit with the Colts.

Strengths

Trubisky has always been known for his athleticism. He is a true dual-threat quarterback with the ball in his hands as he can extend plays with his legs and pick up the first down when nothing is available downfield. For his career, Trubisky has a 5.3 yards per carry average and nine touchdowns on the ground. His running ability adds an element to the offense that defenses must account for.

Because of his athleticism, he seems to have success off of play-action and bootleg plays. These types of plays help create throwing lanes for Trubisky where he can safely deliver the ball to his receivers. Trubisky certainly benefits from having a strong running game at his disposal, making play-action plays even more convincing.

The 27-year-old quarterback also has very nice arm strength. Trubisky has never had an issue with his velocity and can make any throw needed in today’s NFL. He does a great job of driving the ball to his receivers, allowing him to fit the football into tight windows.

Trubisky seems to have most of his success on short, quick throws. He does a nice job of getting the ball out quickly to his receivers, especially when it is the first read. According to NFL Next Gen Stats for 2020, Trubisky’s passer rating was better than league average when throwing behind the line of scrimmage up to 10 yards down the field.

Weaknesses

One of the areas that Trubisky struggles with is dissecting defenses from the pocket. When his first read is not available, he tends to panic and can make questionable decisions with the football. This gets the offense in trouble and can make sustaining drives a challenge.

This goes hand in hand with his inability to go through his progressions quickly. Trubisky fails to move off of his reads quick enough to identify the open man and often stares down his receivers as he waits for them to get open. Starring down receivers is a huge tell for defenses, and is a reason why Trubisky ranked near the top of the league in turnover-worthy throws while with the Bears, according to Pro Football Focus.

Decision-making is an area that Trubisky must improve on if he is to have success as a starter. Too many times, he would force the ball into double and triple coverage instead of taking the check down or throwing the ball away. This aggressive and reckless style of play led to many of his turnovers with the Bears.

Trubisky seems to have sporadic accuracy issues as well. This is especially true when he cannot step into his throws and is dealing with pressure in his face. He fails to line up his feet properly, and the accuracy on his throws suffers quite a bit because of this.

How Trubisky Fits with the Colts

After spending a year in Buffalo behind Allen and learning from Bills’ former offensive coordinator Brian Daboll, now the head coach of the New York Giants, it seems as if Trubisky is ready for another shot to start in the NFL. While there are other teams rumored to be interested, the Colts could look at bringing him on board as well.

His dual-threat ability would be a great asset to have within a Frank Reich offense. With a strong running game that includes Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines, the Colts would be able to use play-action fakes and bootlegs often to give Trubisky plenty of space and multiple throwing lanes. The Colts also like to run a lot of mesh concepts, which would allow Trubisky to get the ball out quickly to his receivers in space and let them go to work.

However, it is not a slam dunk that Trubisky would work in Indy. Reich covets quarterbacks who can dissect a defense and go through the reads quickly, something Trubisky has struggled with historically. The tendency for Trubisky to force the ball to his receivers when the play is not there instead of taking the check down is something the Colts experienced with Wentz in 2021.

If Trubisky did sign with the Colts, he would have the best offensive mind he has ever worked with in Reich and would have a chance to turn his career around. At only 27, he still has plenty of years of football left in him and could certainly develop into a solid starter in the NFL. But the Colts would be smart to have a backup plan in place, maybe even a rookie, in case Trubisky starts to fall back into his old ways.

Final verdict: If able to sign him for $15 million or less on a one-year deal, the Colts should take a gamble on Trubisky.

Have thoughts on Mitchell Trubisky's potential fit with the Colts? Drop a line in the comments below and let us know what you think!

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Published Mar 14, 2022

ANDREW MOORE

Andrew Moore is the Senior Analyst for Horseshoe Huddle and an Indianapolis Colts expert. Andrew is also the co-host of the Horseshoe Huddle Podcast and the former co-host of A Colts Podcast.