One of the biggest surprises of the past week for the Chicago Bears was how inactive they were at quarterback. They certainly made a big splash at the position by trading for Nick Foles. Still, with both Mitch Trubisky and Tyler Bray being free agents in 2021 it felt like a good time to add some sort of developmental option. GM Ryan Pace reportedly had hoped to sign James Madison standout Ben DiNucci as an undrafted free agent but the Dallas Cowboys ruined that when they drafted him in the 7th round.
Since then the Bears have gone silent. Thus far they’ve signed nine undrafted free agents. None of them are quarterbacks. Most of the notable names are long gone. This leaves most to think they blew a major opportunity to add more depth. However, they might be in luck. A window of opportunity remains open.
One of the biggest surprises among draftniks is the fact North Texas star quarterback Mason Fine remains available. Not only was he not drafted but thus far no team has signed him as well. In four seasons, he threw for 12,505 yards with 93 touchdowns and 34 interceptions. He also ran for an additional seven scores. Fine led them to two bowl games in that span as well. Before that, the Mean Green had made bowl games just twice in 12 seasons.
Chicago Bears have nothing to lose giving Fine a shot
According to reports, teams are hesitant to sign Fine outright. Two reasons probably lead to why. He’s short. The quarterback is only 5’11 and teams are always wary of players that size at that position. Then there’s the fact he’s coming from a smaller program. While those numbers he put up were great, they were against largely inferior competition. So how seriously can they take him? Similarly sized guys like Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray did their damage at the big schools like Wisconsin and Oklahoma.
Subscribe to the BFR Youtube channel and ride shotgun with Dave and Ficky as they break down Bears football like nobody else.
Still, it’s not like the Bears are thinking about spending a pick on him. He’d come dirt cheap as an undrafted free agent. He has enough arm strength to survive in the NFL, throws with accuracy, and can move. His issues are sloppy throwing mechanics and a lack of understanding on how to read defenses. Two common issues for most college quarterbacks. There’s enough good tape to justify taking a cheap flier on him.
