The quarterback question before the Bears is all-consuming.However, there could be another one eating away at them very soon.
If the Bears decide trading Justin Fields is their best route, they’ll be facing another problem. They will need two quarterbacks, not one. One would obviously be Caleb Williams. Then they would need another one.
This isn’t necessarily advocating the Mike Glennon/Mitchell Trubisky or Andy Dalton/Fields re-enactment but finding another one is beyond a borderline necessity.
You’ll remember the Glennon disaster. He was going to be the bridge to when Trubisky was ready and instead he was a bridge to nowhere. Glennon told everyone “This is My Year,” after Ryan Pace paid him $43.5 million over three years to come in and go 1-3 with five interceptions, five fumbles, eight sacks and a 76.9 passer rating. Then John Fox decided the big guy’s “year” was over and it was Trubisky’s team for better or worse.
You’ll also remember Dalton signing for $10 million and one year, promptly becoming starter while Justin Fields had to come into a terribly difficult situation behind two veteran QBs on an old, losing team getting ready to be broken down and dispersed. They still had former Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles then, besides Dalton, who then repeated what Glennon said with the proclamation: “This is my time.” His time lasted less than Glennon’s time.
Dalton started one full game and almost a half of another until a knee injury and then only played as backup to Fields when the rookie was injured.
And this is exactly the point: It took 1 1/2 games for Dalton to be out of the lineup.
If the Bears draft Caleb Williams and move on from Justin Fields, it leaves them with the rookie from USC at quarterback and Tyson Bagent, he of 4 1/2 games experience after Division II ball without being drafted.
Is that how much experience you want to go into an NFL season with at QB?
If the Bears go into training camp with Caleb Williams as starter and Bagent as a backup, they need a veteran on the staff to be the real backup in case of a Williams injury.
The Bagent five-interception game against New Orleans is still fresh in everyone’s memory, when his lack of arm strength got exposed against a non-playoff team.
There’s always Nathan Peterman, if they want to bring back someone with a career 39.4 passer rating.
A new offense and coordinator is a good time for a fresh start at starting quarterback and also, then, at backup QB.
Here are veteran free agents who could be available if the Bears want to go shopping for a proper backup to Caleb Williams, rather than have one who throws five interceptions or one with a career passer rating lower than his completion percentage.
When you get past the potential starting quarterbacks who will be free agents, like Baker Mayfield, Kirk Cousins and Ryan Tannehill, there is a long list of possible backups.
Some are experienced enough and good enough to start for a period of time in case of an injury to Williams.
Drew Lock
The backup who learned Waldron’s system last year would be the ideal Bears backup behind Williams. He’d even be fine under Fields if they chose to go that route. He got to throw only 76 passes in four games and two starts within Waldron’s offense last year but won a big start against the Eagles. He posted respectable 7.1 yards per attempt lasty ear with 63.2% completions, three TDs and three interceptions and has 28 TDs to 23 interceptions for his four-season, 23-start career. He made $4 million last year.
Jacoby Brissett
Matt Eberflus coached with the Colts when they had Brissett as a backup. He was there a year before Eberflus arrived and was with the Colts from 2017 through 2020. Brissett first earned his reputation for being able to pick up first downs on quarterback sneaks — without help from the so-called “tush push” while with the Colts. He had a 7-8 record as starter with an 88.0 passer rating in 2019 when they had to use him as starter after Andrew Luck’s sudden retirement announcement. That 88.0 passer rating was higher than Fields has posted and the only Bears QB with a higher one since Fields came to the team was the 98.0 by Foles in 2021 when he only threw passes in one game. The one drawback with Brissett is his cost. He got paid $8 million last year to back up Sam Howell.
Mitchell Trubisky
Now available. Been there, done that.
Tyrod Taylor
You can do much worse than a 35-year-old, 13-year veteran who has an 88.3 passer rating, with 65 TD passes to 29 interceptions. Taylor has a .500 career record (28-28-1) when starting, and not many backups can say that. He was only a starter three years in his career and spent the last two with the Giants, who apparently have the successor to Tony Soprano now as a backup, former Illini QB Tommy “Cutlets” DeVito. He made $5.5 million last year and Spotrac.com projects him at $3.3 million.
Marcus Mariota
The Eagles had him for a year at $5 million. He last posted an 88.2 passer rating for the Falcons as starter with a 5-8 record in 2022 and did it with a rock solid 7.4 yards per attempt. Mariota’s statistics read like a successful career starter with an 89.2 passer rating and 62.7% completions with 7.5 yards per attempt for 90 games and 74 starts. His stats in 2022 were much better than the two QBs the Falcons used as starters last year.
Sam Darnold
He never lived up to the draft status but is still only 26, was paid $4.5 million last year and gained valuable experience in a 49ers system which is similar to the wide zone type of attack the Bears have been running and probably like the one the Waldron will install. Darnold’s 59.7% completion rate for 56 starts (21 wins) and a 78.3 passer rating suggest he’ll never be a starter but for one six-game stretch in Carolina he did have an 8.2 yards=per-attempt in 2022 and a 92.6 passer rating, and this suggests there could be something in there yet untapped by the Jets and Panthers. Last year the 49ers gave him only one start and he threw 46 passes in a loss.
Tyler Huntley
Periodic injuries to Lamar Jackson have given Huntley a chance to play over his four seasons and he has a 3-6 record as a starter and even played in two playoff games with one start in 2022. His numbers are unimpressive with eight TD passes and seven interceptions and 56.8% completions. Earned $2.63 million lastyear.
Joe Flacco
The Browns would be silly to let him get away after the way he saved their season last year and got them into the playoffs, including a comeback win over the Bears. What Flacco can do is well known and his stats He made $2.5 million last year. His 245 TD passes to 155 interceptions and a Super Bowl ring are valuable backup assets. They were good enough to get the Browns a 4-1 regular-season record in his starts.
Carson Wentz
His 89.4 career passer rating for 93 starts and 95 games stand out. Consistency has been an issue with 62.7% completions and his struggles since playing for the Eagles in their Super Bowl year have led to a low 6.7 yards per attempt. Still, he’ more than capable of being a backup for a team. His past does not speak well for his ability to be a leader, though. He signed a $1.3 million deal last year for one year with the Rams as a backup.
Mason Rudolph
He did enough as Steelers third-stringer to get them to sign him again and they cut Trubisky, but this doesn’t mean he’ll be back in Pittsburgh after leading them to three regular-season wins in three 2023 games. An 86.9 career passer rating, including 118.0 last season on 55 of 74 (74.3%) with three TDs and no interceptions spoke for his potential. He made $1.08 million last year.
Brandon Allen
He was also part of San Francisco’s QB group last year but didn’t play. When Allen last played he posted a 97.2 passer rating and for his career as a backup has 10 TD passes, six interceptions but for his career completed only 56.7%. He played in only nine games in four years. Made $1.23 million last year.
Joshua Dobbs
A red hot start when called upon to replace Kirk Cousins last year quickly faded after the Bears held an interception fest at his expense. He finished with 13 TD passes and 13 interceptions. He made $2 million last year but Spotrac.com remains unconvinced after his poor finish and projects him at $6.7 million a year.
Kyle Allen
After a strong start in a backup role with three seasons in four posting a 98.6 passer rating or better, he’s been largely inactive the last two years with Houston and Buffalo. He has 26 TD passes to 21 interceptions with a career passer rating of 82.2 but only a 6.7 yards per attempt. He has decent experience with 19 starts and 30 games played. He made $1.23 million last year.
Gardner Minshew
The Colts started him last year after Anthony Richardson’s knee injury. Minshew seems to be everyone’s backup but can’t get anyone to give him a real chance to start even though his numbers are respectable. He has a 90.2 passer rating for 49 games and 37 starts, including 93.1 for 20 games with an awful Jacksonville team. Minshew is the kind of QB who can win games with a strong defense on his side. The Shew has 59 tD passes to 24 interceptions. Even though he has a reputation for lacking a huge arm, he has averaged 7.0 yards per attempt. He posted a 7-6 record as starter last year with the Colts in Jonathan Gannon’s first year as coach even though he was acquired to be the backup. Spotrac.com projects Minshew at $5.3 million for 2024 after he made $3.5 million last year.
Leave a Reply