NFL Roundtable: Mitch Trubisky's murky future

Every week we sit down with BetAmerica Extra columnists Ashley Anderson, James Scully and Scott Shapiro to discuss the latest news from around the NFL. This week they weigh in on whether the NFL should drop Thursday night games, Dwayne Haskins' inauspicious debut and Mitch Trubisky's five-year plan.

Dwayne Haskins threw three interceptions in his Redskins debut. Do you expect Washington to stick with him for the remainder of the season?

Ashley: I’m a little concerned about Haskins going 9-of-17 with three interceptions against the Giants (!!!) defense. What do you think is going to happen against the Patriots defense in Week 5? I could argue the Redskins should keep their first-round draft pick in as a starter to help him develop, because their season is basically lost. But playing Haskins against tougher defenses in the middle of the schedule is a risk to both his confidence and health if the offensive line can’t protect him. Games against the Dolphins and Jets will give Haskins some good experience, but I don’t foresee him lasting the rest of the season as the starter.

James: Dwayne Haskins should be the starter for as long as possible. Washington has hit the skids, with no hope for the playoffs, and Haskins needs experience. He must play better and stay healthy behind a bad offensive line. But Haskins is the future, and there’s nothing to be gained by keeping him on the bench.

Scott: I definitely expect Washington head coach Jay Gruden to stick with first-round pick through the remainder of the season. The Redskins are 0-4 and about be 0-5, so they are playing for the future at this point. Playing musical quarterbacks with Case Keenum and Haskins will do nothing to help the confidence of the former Ohio State signal caller.

Todd Gurley has become the latest NFL player to rail against Thursday Night games, calling them “the dumbest thing ever.” Is it time for the NFL to consider dropping them?

Ashley: I understand it’s hard on the players to play on a short week, but the NFL is a business. I don’t see Roger Goodell giving up a prime-time slot and multibillion-dollar agreement with NFL Network, FOX Sports and now Amazon Prime, anytime soon. Sorry, Todd.

James: It will never happen. Thursday games are tough for players and coaches, but revenue is far too important. FOX will pay more than $3 billion over five years to televise Thursday Night Football and commissioner Roger Goodell has projected $25 billion in league revenue by 2025. Additional weekday games are more of a possibility.

Scott: I love as many stand-alone NFL games as possible, so selfishly I hope this is not the case, but I understand the players' frustration to have to play on short rest with little time to prepare. However, I do not foresee the NFL dropping the weekday night contests, because a prime-time Thursday night game is a moneymaker, and that is the No. 1 goal of the league.

Where do you see Mitch Trubisky in five years?  

Ashley: It’s easy to criticize the Chicago Bears quarterback and assume he’s destined for nothing more than a backup role in the future. I’m not calling it, yet. Trubisky went from a 1-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio in 2017 to 24 TDs and 12 interceptions a year later. Compare his start to that of Matthew Stafford and Joe Flacco. They both struggled with accuracy (Stafford threw 13 TDs to 20 interceptions in 2009) and they’re still hanging around in the NFL. It’s not unreasonable to think Trubisky—with some improvement—could find himself a starting spot somewhere in the league, even if it’s not with the Bears, down the road.

James: On another team. Trubisky lacks the skills to run Matt Nagy’s offensive schemes effectively and will likely part ways with Chicago after his rookie deal expires next year. He may find the right situation with further development or could wind up being a backup.

Scott: Trubisky looked like he might have turned a corner in 2018, but he has been terrible in 2019. I would be very surprised if he was still a starting QB in five years. He is inaccurate and the league seems to have figured him out.

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