The Chicago Bears knew coming into this offseason it was going to be a challenge to find a quarterback. A mixture of limited spending money and low draft position made their list of options few. After an aggressive-if-unlikely run at Russell Wilson, GM Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy settled on their guy. Former Cincinnati Bengals and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Andy Dalton.
Pace explained the choice to the media on Friday. Dalton’s longstanding reputation as a leader and a good decision-maker were driving points. His style of play fits the kind of offense the Bears want to run. He’s not a stranger to success either. The guy is a three-time Pro Bowler and made the playoffs four times. He showed last year in Dallas that when given some help, he can still produce.
However, not everybody thinks they made the right decision.
Mike Sando of The Athletic spoke to an NFL executive about the Bears’ choice. On the surface, it’s understandable. Dalton is a stable veteran and was easily one of the best available. He was also cheap. Another factor people can’t ignore. So what is the problem? A simple case that being okay might not be good enough for Chicago this year. They should’ve taken a more aggressive swing.
Evaluating the Dalton signing against the possibility of landing Wilson misses the mark. The Bears in reality signed Dalton over Ryan Fitzpatrick and Jameis Winston, quarterbacks actually available to them. Winston is the one with potential upside. Dalton commanded the better contract.
“With Jameis, you hit a home run or strike out,” an exec said.
With Dalton, the Bears might be hitting a single when a single isn’t enough.
What they’re referring to here are Winston’s age and history. He is still just 27-years old. Five years younger than Dalton. He’s also shown the capability to put up huge numbers. His last season as a starter in 2019, Winston threw for over 5,000 yards and 33 touchdowns. The problem is that also came with 30 interceptions. He is arguably the greatest rollercoaster ride among quarterbacks since Brett Favre. If the Bears could somehow hide his negative tendencies better, they might have somebody who can win games for them.
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Chicago Bears may no longer have their reliable crutch
That being their defense. The unit really seemed to fade down the stretch last season. Then things got even more challenging when they lost three key starters in their secondary this offseason. Tashaun Gipson became a free agent while Kyle Fuller and Buster Skrine were released. Thus far the only notable move made to counter those losses was signing the 31-year old Desmond Trufant. Not exactly a step in the right direction.
More than ever it feels like the offense needs to start carrying more of the load. They haven’t done their part nearly enough in the past three years. This is why the executive no doubt felt a bigger swing at quarterback was warranted. Dalton is a serviceable guy who can be a game manager, yet it’s important to remember his offenses have only ranked in the top 15 four out of nine seasons. None since 2016.
Winston is a massive roll of the dice, but one that could pay off huge.
Not that it matters. All signs pointed to him staying in New Orleans where he’ll be the heir apparent to Drew Brees. Maybe if the Chicago Bears had made a strong money offer he might’ve considered it. Yet they weren’t in a position to overpay for anybody. Especially not a guy with his untrustworthy track record. Dalton was the safe choice. It comes down to whether they can maximize it.
