Nick Foles

The Chicago Bears have major questions at quarterback, and general manager Ryan Pace said "everything is on the table" when it comes to addressing the position this offseason, per Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.

"As far as the plan at quarterback, to get to where we want to go, we definitely need more out of that position," Pace said Wednesday.

Perhaps the biggest problem for the Bears is that Pace will be the one making those decisions.

He traded up to select Mitchell Trubisky No. 2 overall ahead of the likes of Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson in the 2017 draft. He also brought in Mike Glennon and traded for Nick Foles during his tenure, neither of whom played up to expectations or delivered anything resembling consistency.

Trubisky may not be back in Chicago next season given Pace's comments and the fact the Bears declined his fifth-year option. That would leave Foles as the only quarterback under contract for 2021, meaning the position figures to be a priority in the draft or free agency.

Trubisky started the 2020 season under center but lost his spot to Foles during a Week 3 game against the Atlanta Falcons. Foles led a dramatic comeback but eventually lost his spot due to poor play and an injury he suffered against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 10.

Chicago went 3-3 in the final six games with Trubisky back under center and made the playoffs at 8-8, just to lose to the New Orleans Saints 21-9 in the Wild Card Round.

The offense didn't find the end zone until the game was already decided, underscoring its inability to match the team's strong defense.

Apparently, "everything is on the table" when it comes to a 2021 solution.

Guiding the Chicago Bears to the NFL playoffs may not be enough to secure Mitchell Trubisky's long-term future in the Windy City.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Sunday the Bears haven't reached any final decision about Trubisky, who's due to become a free agent, so a deep postseason run could sway the front office:

The 26-year-old has performed well since resuming duties as the starting quarterback. He threw for 1,495 yards, 10 touchdowns and five interceptions over six games to close out the regular season.

As a result, many are wondering whether he could be back with the Bears in 2021 after his fate seemed to be sealed once the team declined his fifth-year option.

"In the eyes of some NFL executives, Trubisky recently has played some of the best football of his career, making a case as to why Chicago will need to consider re-signing him," ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Dec. 27.

According to Fox Sports' Peter Schrager, none of the involved parties will discuss any contract terms until this season concludes:

There's an obvious level of danger in weighing a relatively small sample against everything else Trubisky has done to this point.

The Bears' final stretch pitted them against the Green Bay Packers (twice), Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, Minnesota Vikings and Jacksonville Jaguars. Those teams ranked seventh, 30th, 24th, 25th and 27th in pass defense. All five were in the bottom half in defensive efficiency, with the Texans, Jaguars and Lions occupying the final three spots, per Football Outsiders.

Trubisky wasn't facing a murderers' row of elite defenses.

The level of competition will climb in the playoffs, but Joe Flacco is a prime example of how a hot postseason run isn't indicative of future performance. While Flacco was instrumental in helping the Baltimore Ravens win Super Bowl XLVII, the six-year, $120.6 million extension he signed in the aftermath wasn't a great investment.

The Bears would be wise to avoid making a similar mistake with Trubisky based on whatever unfolds this month.

The Chicago Bears are not exactly working with a loaded quarterback room, but head coach Matt Nagy made his selection for Sunday's divisional contest against the Detroit Lions at Soldier Field.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Wednesday that the coach said Mitchell Trubisky will start the game. Trubisky started Chicago's last outing against the Green Bay Packers with Nick Foles sidelined with a hip/glute injury, but he struggled with turnovers during a 41-25 loss.

The story on Trubisky is fairly clear at this point.

Chicago traded up to select him with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft, which was a major mistake in hindsight with Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson still available. It was the type of misstep that can set a team back years, and Trubisky's struggles are a primary reason why the Bears have been unable to capitalize on a stout defense the past three seasons.

Foles took over for Trubisky during Chicago's Week 3 game against the Atlanta Falcons and led the team to a dramatic comeback victory, but that was the high point of his season.

Since then, Foles struggled with consistency and lost five of his seven starts before suffering the injury. 

Chicago's 5-1 start has collapsed into a 5-6 record in large part because of the offensive play, and Trubisky threw two interceptions and lost a fumble that the Packers returned for a touchdown after he took back over the starting job with Foles sidelined.

He at least adds a running element that Foles does not and had success in the season opener against the Lions when he threw for 242 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions. A repeat performance like that would help the Bears reach .500 as they attempt to climb back into the NFC playoff picture.

Chicago Bears quarterback Nick Foles is viewed as day-to-day after suffering a hip/glute injury late in the fourth quarter of Monday night's loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Defensive end Ifeadi Odenigbo threw him to the ground, which led Foles to get carted off the field.

Bears head coach Matt Nagy said Tuesday that the injury "isn't as bad as we once thought," per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Earlier Tuesday, Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network reported on Good Morning Football that Foles had avoided a major injury:

After the game Monday night, Nagy did not provide specifics but noted Foles was being evaluated for a hip or leg injury.

"He's a tough dude, and he was in a lot of pain," Nagy told reporters. "When you see that and you're down there with him, you feel for him just because you don't know how bad it was. So that part is hard."

Tyler Bray finished the final drive because Mitchell Trubisky was inactive with a shoulder injury. The Bears are on their bye in Week 11, but it's unclear who will start if Foles is unavailable when they return for a Week 12 clash with the Green Bay Packers.

"I don't know about Mitch," Nagy said. "I think there's a possibility, but I don't know that for sure. We just have to take it day by day."

Foles struggled before suffering the injury, completing just 15 of his 26 throws for 106 yards with no touchdowns and an interception.

Quarterback play has been the biggest factor holding the Bears back as they've fallen to 5-5 with four straight losses after a promising 5-1 start. Foles, Trubisky and Bray have combined for an 81.8 passer rating, which ranks 27th in the NFL.

The inability to score points consistently has seen the team squander some strong defensive efforts, including one in Monday's 19-13 loss to the Vikings. The Bears defense, which ranks seventh in points allowed per game (20.9), held MVP candidate Dalvin Cook to a measly 3.2 yards per carry.

Aside from two meetings with the Packers, Chicago has a favorable schedule down the stretch and could still make a push toward the playoffs. Getting better play from whomever is under center will be critical to reaching that goal, though.

Matt Nagy is not yet two years removed from being named the NFL's Coach of the Year. He could very well be removed as the Chicago Bears' head coach before the end of the 2020 campaign.

The Bears' 19-13 loss Monday to the rival Minnesota Vikings marked Chicago's fourth straight defeat after a promising 5-1 start. Heading into the team's bye week, the Bears ownership group should consider a change to try to save what is quickly becoming a lost season.

An awful offense is the root of the team's ills—which is a damning statement about Nagy, who was hired because of his acumen as an offensive coach.

"[He will] reach out for different ideas; reach in to college football for creative ideas, the Arena League for ideas," general manager Ryan Pace told reporters after Nagy's hire prior to the 2018 campaign. "There are a lot of neat things you can do offensively and scheme things and maximize your personnel, and that's what Matt's really good at."

Good ideas are great, but game-planning, sequential play-calling and execution are what matter. The Bears have consistently ranked among the league's worst offenses since Nagy took the helm, and the staff's inability to maximize its talent proves an outside option may be necessary.

The desperation of Monday's approach couldn't have been more obvious.

Prior to Chicago's latest meeting with Minnesota, Nagy realized a change was necessary. As such, the head coach relinquished play-calling duties and handed them to offensive coordinator Bill Lazor.

"I'd be lying if I said this was easy. It's not easy," Nagy told reporters. "It's one of my favorite parts of coaching. I love calling plays."

Entering Monday's contest, Chicago ranked 30th in points per game (19.8) and yards per game (317.8). The Bears were dead last with 82.3 rushing yards per contest.

How did they fare against Minnesota?

Cordarrelle Patterson scored Chicago's only touchdown with a 104-yard kickoff return—which tied him for the most all-time with Josh Cribbs and Leon Washington. The offense managed a measly 149 yards.

After its initial 70-yard drive, the offense never marched more than 26 yards, as ESPN's Bill Barnwell noted. On its final drive, quarterback Nick Foles was carted off the field, and Tyler Bray replaced him.

The Bears were particularly atrocious on second down, with only nine yards, per The Athletic's Kevin Fishbain.

"Obviously we struggled mightily on offense," Nagy told reporters. "... It overshadows how well I thought our defense played."

Patterson's kickoff return marked just the Bears' second third-quarter score this season—a further indictment of Nagy and Co. Halftime adjustments are crucial to any squad's success. Obviously, the Bears offensive staff falls well short of the competency necessary to assess what's going wrong and make in-game tweaks.

After Patterson's touchdown opened the second half, Chicago went three-and-out on four straight possessions.

Sure, Lazor tried to call some quick hitters to allow his receivers to create after the catch. He even used Patterson in a Wildcat formation in an attempt to put the ball in the playmaker's hands. The Vikings weren't worried about anything, because the threat they would be burned by chunk plays didn't exist.

Sadly, Allen Robinson II's talents are going to waste.

Robinson is a top-five wide receiver in the league, but inconsistent quarterback play has plagued his career. As Pro Football Focus' Brad Spielberger noted, Robinson has only seven red-zone targets this season with three receptions on three catchable targets. For comparison, Minnesota's Adam Thielen has eight receptions in the end zone (including his second touchdown reception Monday), per ESPN Stats & Info.

An argument will be made that Chicago lacks talent, especially on the offensive side of the ball—starting with the quarterback position. Therein lies the problem. Nagy's staff didn't develop Mitchell Trubisky, and the hand-picked Nick Foles hasn't performed well despite his experience in the system and previous working relationships with Nagy, Lazor and quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo.

Instead, the Bears will be searching for a quarterback yet again this offseason, which makes a change in staff even more likely since the franchise will want to marry another top pick to a new coach.

Furthermore, the team has targets in rookies Cole Kmet and Darnell Mooney who could be utilized far more than they are.

"Like I have said before, we don't have a lot of 'him' routes. We have very few plays that we try to game-plan to scheme to get somebody open," tight ends coach Clancy Barone told reporters last Monday. "Oftentimes, it goes with our quarterback's read. If it's man, he's looking to go on this side, and if it's zone, he's looking to go on that side. And based upon matchups, and so on and so forth."

A coach's primary job is to place his players in positions to succeed. Clearly, the Bears staff is falling well short of those expectations.

A coaching change seems like an inevitability, and it would make sense during the bye week. The offense isn't clicking, and a new play-caller didn't result in anything of consequence.

With Nagy out, the Bears could turn to defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano as interim coach. Pagano posted only one losing season in six campaigns as the Indianapolis Colts' head coach. More importantly, a young mind such as DeFilippo or passing game coordinator Dave Ragone should be given a chance to further shake up the offense.

The Bears could save their season by being decisive. Only six NFC teams have a better record. With this year's expanded playoffs, the postseason shouldn't be ruled out with or without Nagy leading the way. But the offense is clearly holding back a squad with a championship-caliber defense.

Sometimes, a drastic move is necessary to infuse a team with renewed energy. The Bears need a jolt. The shock of a Nagy dismissal could prepare the team for a restart if it doesn't spark a turnaround. Either way, the Bears would be better off than what they've shown over the last four games.

Brent Sobleski covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter, @brentsobleski.

Chicago Bears quarterback Nick Foles suffered an apparent injury and was carted off the field during Monday's loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

Head coach Matt Nagy provided an update after the game:

Any setback to Foles is reason for worry in Chicago considering he suffered a broken collarbone last season while on the Jacksonville Jaguars and played just four games.

The Bears traded for Foles this offseason in an effort to provide some competition for Mitchell Trubisky, who has failed to live up to expectations that were put in place when the team selected him with the No. 2 overall pick of the 2017 NFL draft.

Foles lost the quarterback battle at the start of the campaign but took over during a Week 3 win over the Atlanta Falcons and entered play with 1,746 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

He entered the campaign having never started more than 11 games in a single year as someone who has bounced around from a backup to primary role, but he will forever be a hero in Philadelphia after leading the Eagles to a Super Bowl championship to end the 2017 season.

That provided a glimpse of his ceiling, but Chicago will likely turn back to Trubisky again if Foles is sidelined for a significant amount of time.

While Trubisky was sidelined for Monday's game with his own injury, the Bears are headed to their bye week and could get him back. If not, look for Tyler Bray to play under center.