Giving his starters only token snaps in the 2019 preseason was one of the few decisions Matt Nagy acknowledged regretting in his four seasons as the Bears’ head coach.
Quarterback Mitch Trubisky and the starting offensive line played three snaps in the preseason opener against the Panthers and were declared ready for the regular season.
They were not. The Bears finished 29th in points, 29th in total yards, 25th in passing yards and 27th in rushing yards. Trubisky’s passer rating plummeted from 95.4 in 2018 to 83.0 in 2019 —28th in the NFL.
The lesson was clear — more work in game situations for a developing team is better than less.