NFC North Notes: Mitch Trubisky, Bears, Lions

Mitch Trubisky

Bears HC Matt Nagy tells Tom Pelissero of NFL Media that they plan to cut QB Mitch Trubisky loose this year.

“We’re going to have some fun with him. We’re going to let him cut it loose,” Nagy said. “He’s going to live and learn a little bit. And that’s OK. It’s good for him. There’s going to be some scars that he gets. But I just want him to be him. Be Mitch. Be the best Mitch you can possibly be. Know we got your back and we support you. Cut it loose, have fun and let’s go win some games.”

“What I see in (Trubisky) is a kid who has an extreme amount of confidence in himself and trust in his coaches,” Nagy added. “And that’s hard to do as a young kid coming into this, especially as the No. 2 pick in the NFL Draft in a big-time city for a team that’s starving for wins. When you put all that together and you see a kid that’s ready to just take it all on, you’re crazy as any coach (if you don’t) say I’ve got that guy’s back and let’s go to work.”

Bears

• Bears OLB Aaron Lynch suffered a hamstring injury on Friday and subsequently missed practice on Saturday. (Adam Jahns)
• Jahns says that rookie WR Anthony Miller put on a show Saturday, which included a fully outstretched diving catch down the sideline from backup quarterback Chase Daniel.
• Regarding his role, Miller says the team expects him to step in “play right away“: “It’s been a grind ever since I got drafted. They expect me to play right away. They expect me to make plays right way.”

Lions

• The Lions will have Matt Cassel and Jake Rudock battling it out for the backup job behind Matthew Stafford this summer.
• According to Kyle Meinke of MLive.com, “the smart money is on Cassel” this summer and he projects the Lions to keep Cassel as their No. 2 quarterback.