The Chicago Bears have a lot of things to do this offseason. First they need to find a new defensive coordinator. Then they have 30 free agents to sort through including one of their best players in Allen Robinson. All with limited cap space which may require tough decisions on the defensive side of the ball. Oh and there’s also that other little thing. Finding a quarterback.
Let’s face it. Nothing else the Bears do over the next nine months is going to matter unless they figure out the QB position. It’s been the dark cloud hanging over this regime for three years. Pouring all resources into helping Mitch Trubisky came to little. A 25-13 record but just an 89.8 passer rating. He’s 0-2 in the playoffs and 3-8 against teams that eventually made the playoffs in regular season play.
Translation? He has feasted on bad teams but can’t do much else.
That isn’t going to help the Bears against Aaron Rodgers who is still playing at an MVP level. Until they find somebody who is an actual threat under center, they’re going to live in mediocrity hoping the defense strings together enough dominant performances to reach 10 wins. This is why nothing else Pace does this offseason matters until he finds one.
The obvious question is who will that be? Well, the intrigue has already begun on that. One of the first big bits of news that will form the quarterback market arrived. During a segment on ESPN announcing the New York Jets hiring new head coach Robert Saleh, insider Adam Schefter revealed their likely plans at quarterback. They involve Sam Darnold staying put and the team looking to move out of their #2 spot.
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Looks like Sam Darnold will be the #Jets QB next season, per @AdamSchefter pic.twitter.com/ZqzSVUxCIG
— Sportsnaut (@Sportsnaut) January 15, 2021
This move would have consequences for the Chicago Bears
Firstly, it would remove a trade option from the market. There was rampant speculation that Darnold would be a noteworthy QB to deal for this offseason. He’s 23-years old, talented, and still playing on his rookie contract. He most likely wouldn’t have been the first option for the Chicago Bears but certainly one on their list. The great intrigue is what this potentially does for the draft. It immediately makes the #2 pick available and if the Jets don’t trade it, that means one of the other two QBs in the top 10 conversation could slide a bit.
Would Pace dare move up from #20 to #2? Give his track record of trading up with his first pick in three of the last six drafts? Nothing is off the table with him. If he and Nagy are 100% sold on Justin Fields of Ohio State or Zach Wilson of BYU, he might do whatever it takes to get them. Even offering up an astronomical trade package to grab that pick.
A more realistic scenario though is one of those names tumbling.
It isn’t uncommon for three quarterbacks to go in the top 5 but conventional wisdom says at least one of them slips to somewhere between #6 and #12. Here is a look at the pick lineup after #2.
- #3 – Miami Dolphins
- #4 – Atlanta Falcons
- #5 – Cincinnati Bengals
- #6 – Philadelphia Eagles
- #7 – Detroit Lions
- #8 – Carolina Panthers
- #9 – Denver Broncos
- #10 – Dallas Cowboys
- #11 – New York Giants
- #12 – San Francisco 49ers
That list is loaded with intrigue. The Dolphins just drafted Tua Tagovailoa who has a mixed season as a rookie. Some wonder if Miami might turn right around and draft somebody else, then trade Tua. That is difficult to envision. Atlanta still has Matt Ryan but he’ll be 36 this year. Is it time to draft his eventual replacement?
Cincinnati just drafted Joe Burrow. They’re not in the mix. Same for Philadelphia who have both Carson Wentz and Jalen Hurts. Detroit is the next interesting one. Matthew Stafford is 32 and the team looks like it needs a considerable overhaul. Do they trade him elsewhere and start fresh at QB or try to reload the roster and give him one last chance?
The first really threatening team to watch would be Carolina.
Teddy Bridgewater was okay in 2020 but nobody is viewing him as a long-term solution at quarterback for the Panthers. It isn’t hard to see them grabbing one of the top QBs if they fall. Denver? They have Drew Lock who showed flashes of brilliance this season but also a lot of inconsistency. New GM George Paton is in charge now. He might wish to start fresh at the position.
Dallas is almost certain to stick with Dak Prescott. The same goes for New York with Daniel Jones. That leaves San Francisco who is the second major threat after Carolina. There is a widespread belief they may look to move on from Jimmy Garoppolo and find a new quarterback for Kyle Shanahan. So looking at the landscape, it feels as follows.
If the Chicago Bears want to move up for a quarterback, they’ll have to pinpoint the Eagles at #6 or the Cowboys at #10 as likely landing spots. Both are occupied by teams that have their quarterbacks and feature GMs who aren’t afraid to trade down.