The Chicago Bears haven’t made a ton of notable moves in free agency to this point. By far the most volatile was their signing of Andy Dalton. A move that signaled to fans he would be their starting quarterback in 2021. To many, this is a signal that the team is destined once again for mediocrity. Some even suggested blowing the roster up was a better plan than going that direction.
Indeed plenty of Bears fans think this team is going nowhere and is destined to fall off a cliff. Mostly because they don’t have enough young talent on the roster and their ongoing salary cap problems. Even being compared to the 2014 team. Is that fair? Not entirely. It’s true several prominent big names on the roster are getting old. Yet that team seven years ago was completely devoid of young talent. This one is not.
Just look at some of the prominent names.
Allen Robinson, Eddie Jackson, Eddie Goldman, Tarik Cohen, Bilal Nichols, Roquan Smith, Darnell Mooney, David Montgomery, James Daniels, and Jaylon Johnson have all stood out as quality players to varying degrees. All are 27-years old or younger. That 2014 squad had nothing remotely close to a young stock of talent like this. So to say the Bears should just blow it all up is wrong.
That brings us back to the Dalton addition. Chicago seems to think the former three-time Pro Bowler was the best move to make at quarterback. Yes, Russell Wilson was floated out there but Seattle wasn’t budging. What was GM Ryan Pace supposed to do? He needed an option that wasn’t Mitch Trubisky or Nick Foles. Dalton was the best he could do. ESPN insider Kevin Seifert not only agrees, he believes that signing is the most underrated move of the early NFL offseason.
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“There is so much vitriol over this signing that its positives have been buried. (That’s my definition for “underrated” today, anyway.) Dalton is easily the best quarterback the Bears have trotted out over the past five seasons, from Mitch Trubisky to Mike Glennon to Nick Foles. He has taken five Bengals teams to the playoffs and could do the same for the Bears. He isn’t Russell Wilson, whom the Bears failed to acquire in a trade, but his upside has been ignored in the debate.”
Andy Dalton was never meant to be “the” solution
That much is obvious from the deal he signed. One year for $10 million is nothing. Not on the quarterback market. This is nowhere near as bad as the contract Chicago handed Mike Glennon four years ago. The Bears offered Dalton an opportunity. Start for us this year and see if you can do something with the opportunity. The quarterback is under no illusions. He knows it’s possible they can still add to the position via the draft.
Andy Dalton is not their future. He is their present. Somebody who can keep the seat warm and play effectively enough football to keep the train on the tracks. Long enough for GM Ryan Pace to reshuffle the roster and gear up for another big swing at the position. It’s not ideal but it is sensible. It’s pragmatic. Something Pace hasn’t always been known for in the past. It’s fine to want a franchise quarterback. Bears fans deserve one.
Yet the worst thing this team can do is force the issue.
They’ve already thrown a ton of money and draft picks away in recent years trying to make Trubisky a success. It didn’t work out. Throwing even more away trying to cover up the problem was only bound to make matters worse. Pace opted instead for sanity. Dalton will be the guy in 2021 and the resources they have will be devoted to improving the roster around him.