Getty QB Mitchell Trubisky of the Chicago Bears
Mitch Trubisky will not need surgery on his throwing shoulder, and he won’t be placed on injured reserve, Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy said Friday.
The Bears quarterback played one snap during Chicago’s 26-23 Week 8 loss to the New Orleans Saints, a Wildcat play in which he took the snap and ran for three yards. He wound up getting injured on the play. “He’s rehabbing things,” Nagy said about the fourth-year quarterback’s injury. “It’s unfortunate and I know he’s bummed out.”
Trubisky visited Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles late in the week to get a second opinion, and so far, the outlook is positive.
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Trubisky Gets Second Opinion on Shoulder Injury
“He was out there getting a second opinion,” Nagy said about Trubisky, adding he saw his backup as week to week. “We’ll be working through that. And that kind of goes hand in hand with knowing where we see him as far as the upcoming games and the season,” Nagy said, adding: “I’m sure he’s got a lot going through his mind as to where he’s at, and that’s something we’ve got to definitely look into.”
According to sports medical analyst Dr. David J. Chao, Trubisky’s injury isn’t serious, but he won’t be available immediately, either.
“Mitch Trubisky played one snap in Week 8 and subluxed/dislocated his throwing shoulder. Studying video, it looks to be the same type of capsule/labral injury as in 2018 right before Thanksgiving when he missed two games,” Chao wrote in his assessment of the injury. “This is his throwing shoulder which did not have surgery after the 2018 injury. With the Titans and Vikings up next before a bye, the Week 12 Packers game is likely the next chance” for Trubisky to return.
Trubisky’s Injury Could Alter Potential New Role on Offense
On the snap on which Trubisky was injured, he was being utilized in a quasi-Taysom Hill-type way, running the ball on a designed quarterback option. When he was asked if using Trubisky more in that capacity was something he wanted to further explore, Nagy noted he was going to try.
“Yeah we could,” the Bears coach said. “Credit to Mitch. He’s done a really good job in his role that he’s in right now. It’s a weapon for us to be able to use his legs and then obviously be able to throw the ball as well. That’s something that we’re looking at and every game could be a little bit different but it’s something that teams have to prepare for.”
This was immediately following the game, however, before Nagy or even Trubisky knew about the injury. Trubisky noticed it a few days after the game when it started to linger and become an issue.
Could this new shoulder injury change this Mitch-as-Taysom type role?
“We’ll talk through all that,” Nagy said Friday. “We’ll make the best decision. I know this: He’s one of the toughest players I’ve been around. He’s super tough. I have an idea and a feeling of what he’s going to tell me and what his answer’s going to be. So we’ll just have to work through that.”
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