The Chicago Bears have a quarterback problem. Stop if you’ve heard that one before. It’s been a common sentence uttered about this team for decades now. They made their biggest attempt in a long time to fix it when they drafted Mitch Trubisky 2nd overall in 2017. For a brief period last year, it looked like he might be their guy. Then he started to level off and regressed in a big way this past season.
That leaves the Bears in a difficult spot. Do they see an immediate replacement in 2020 or go all-in on him for one more season? Both ideas have merit for different reasons. One thing is for sure though. This coming offseason should at least see them make some changes to the position. Hopefully bringing in a young arm to both improve the depth and maybe start a project for replacing Trubisky in the near future.
Normally the later rounds of a draft aren’t all that fruitful at the position. However, a strange series of circumstances might change that in 2020 and the Bears are primed to take advantage if they wish. Here are a few names they might get for cheap.
QBs who could be major bargains for the Chicago Bears
Jalen Hurts
Widely viewed as one of the most mature and mentally tough quarterbacks in college football. He won a national championship at Alabama, survived being benched, transferred to Oklahoma and led them to the College Football Playoff in 2019. Nobody doubts the heart. They just aren’t sure about the arm. Hurts looks average in that department with decent strength and inconsistent accuracy. After looking like a 2nd round lock at one point, most see him falling to the 3rd or even 4th. His upside is limited, but he’s a fighter and guys like that tend to find a way.
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Jordan Love
Things did not go as planned for Love in 2019. He was so good for Utah State a year ago with 32 touchdowns and six interceptions. Everything just never seemed to click for him this year, finishing with 20 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. Suddenly a guy many saw as a 1st round sleeper now looks unprepared for the NFL and may suffer as a result. His physical potential is there with good size, mobility, and a live arm. What people don’t know is whether he can handle the mental processing speed for the pro level.
Jake Fromm
When it comes to the mind of an NFL quarterback, Fromm has it. He’s got the intelligence, processing speed, and leadership credentials. Not to mention an unceasing battler mentality whenever things get tough. The only problem is his body. It just lacks overall ability. He’s shorter than ideal for the position, doesn’t run too well, and throws rather average passes in terms of velocity. That said, he has enough positive traits to make you think he can function in the right offense. Game manager QBs tend to go later though.
Shea Patterson
Remember Tyrod Taylor? Get a vision of him in your heads because that is who Patterson looks a lot like playing for Michigan. He’s hardly a gunslinger, but his mixture of accurate passing and above-average mobility make him effective because he understands how to use them. He finds ways to move the offense with balance and avoids costly turnovers. Taylor went in the 6th round when he was drafted. That turned into quite the bargain when he finally got an opportunity. The same may prove true for Patterson.
The Chicago Bears have enough picks to take a calculated risk on one of these guys provided they slip to the right spot.
