The Quarterback Shuffle
The Quarterback Shuffle
Which QB around the league makes the most sense for the Bears moving forward?
The Monday after a Bears loss always leaves the city restless, but yesterday was a different level, a Bears fans’ version of the Haymarket Riot. I texted a friend jokingly saying we should trade for former Iowa quarterback and San Fransico third-stringer C.J. Beathard. To my surprise, he responded that he would make that move. Another friend asked if AJ McCarron was a viable option. And another asked where Tyrod Taylor was playing now.
Before I get into the best quarterback options around the league, as in ones that could actually land with the Bears, I’d like to acknowledge an argument I made before the regular season even began. The Bears quarterback situation is why you don’t have two back-up quarterbacks that are only on the team because they know the head coach and his “system.” For one, what exactly is Nagy’s system right now that’s so hard to figure out? Drafting and stockpiling legitimate quarterbacks is what the best organizations do. Either they’re there for an emergency (like if your quarterback gets hurt or is unable to complete a pass) or you trade him to a team like the Bears for draft picks. There’s no downside.
With the trade deadline approaching on October 29th, I highlighted some intriguing players who could potentially end up in a Bears uniform:
Nick Foles:
The Athletic’s Michael Lombardi—a former front office member of the Patriots, Raiders, and Browns—argued the Bears should try to trade for Foles in his Monday column. Foles is on the IR until Week 11 with a fractured collarbone, which he suffered in Week 1. He is expected to return to Jaguars practice next week. Foles signed a 4 year, $88 Million deal before the season, with just over $45 million of that being guaranteed. He has already been paid a portion of his signing bonus by the Jaguars, and the Bears have $17 million in cap to work with the rest of this year. Moving forward, things will get tighter in terms of the Bears cap situation, and trading for Foles would most likely mean moving on from some other players with higher-end salaries.
Foles, 30, played underneath Nagy with both the Eagles—where Nagy was an offensive quality control coach—and the Chiefs, when Nagy was the offensive coordinator. If the standard for playing quarterback for the Bears is still simply having played under Nagy before, Foles fits that description.
Alex Smith:
Here’s another injured, expensive quarterback that Nagy has coached in the past. Smith has been throwing passes the past few weeks after what some thought to be a career-ending injury last year.
Here’s the lead to a Washington Post story yesterday concerning Smith:
Alex Smith stood on a distant practice field behind the Washington Redskins’ team facility early Monday afternoon, heaving footballs as if nothing had happened these past 11 months. He wore a light brace on his right leg that looked more like a long black sock and moved easily, though not quickly, across the grass.
Smith seems like he’s hellbent on playing again, and him and Nagy did enjoy success together. After Andy Reid handed over the play calling duties to Nagy in early December of 2017, the Chiefs went 4-1 and averaged just under 30 points per game. Smith played four of those games, throwing for 292 yards per game with seven touchdowns and 1 interception.
Smith signed a 4 year, $94 million deal with the Redskins before last season, so trading for him would be a similar cap hit to Foles. The Bears would effectively be tied to him through 2021, and Smith is already 35.
Even though the Redskins are quite possibly the most hopeless team in the league, I could see them hanging on to Smith. The only hope would be that Dan Snyder’s obsession with Dwayne Haskins trumps his desire for the Redskins to improve (no matter how slightly) as quickly as possible. Smith, despite the injury, would probably be the best bet for Washington in that case.
Josh Rosen:
Rosen’s stats haven’t been any better than Trubisky’s through his first two years, but he’s played for two teams in a row that will probably wind up with the first overall pick. In other words, he’s had basically nothing to work with. Like Trubisky, he also received a lot of hype coming out of the draft, but his was at least a tad more warranted.
The Dolphins traded a second round pick for Rosen before this year, but all signs point to them drafting Tua Tagovailoa out of Alabama with the first overall pick in the upcoming draft. Rosen is on a rookie deal, which would mean that the Bears could keep the expensive pieces in place on their roster. But he also needs to take significant steps in development before he’d be a real upgrade for the Bears. He may be a better option in 2020, but for 2019, him vs. Trubisky may be a wash.
The Draft:
The Bears could ride this out with Trubisky and/or Daniel in 2019 and sign a free agent veteran before next year to battle a rookie quarterback and Trubisky. They do not have a first round draft pick due to the Khalil Mack trade, but they do have two second rounders, one being the Raiders from the same trade and one being their own. It’s (surprisingly and depressingly) up in the air at this point as to which team will have a higher pick—the Raiders or the Bears—but it’s safe to say the Bears will have at least one pick in the top 45.
It’s hard to forecast who will be around from the 2020 QB class at that point. Jalen Hurts (Oklahoma), Jake Fromm (Georgia), and Joe Burrow (LSU) are all possibilities in the second round. Considering how well LSU’s offense has performed, I’m not sure that Burrow won’t already be gone at that point. The same goes for Hurts. Two years ago, Hurts being floated as a first or early second-rounder would’ve sounded insane, but that’s the magic of Lincoln Riley and Oklahoma.
An outlandish (but maybe not?) scenario:
Shortly after Andrew Luck retired, there was plenty of speculation that he wanted to take the year off and come back. The Colts electing to pay him his 2019 salary gave more credence to those rumors. But then they gave Jacoby Brissett a 2 year, $30 million deal.
Brissett has played above expectations this year, totaling 1388 yards, 14 touchdowns, and three interceptions in six games, putting the Colts at the top of the AFC South. If Luck does decide to return to the NFL, who would the Colts choose to go with? Either way, Brissett has proved his place as a starting quarterback in the league. If Luck did return, that would mean one of them would be available. If that were the case, the Bears would be happy to take either.
Honorable mentions:
Cam Newton: Kyle Allen is undefeated filling in for the injured Newton and has been named the starter for the Panthers upcoming match-up with the 49ers. Newton is a former MVP, but his play of late has proved he’s no longer capable of being a productive QB.
Eli Manning: The same goes for Manning. Trading for Newton or Manning in 2019 would be a disaster.
Ryan Fitzpatrick: Everyone loves a little Fitzmagic. He wouldn’t cost much, but he’s not even the best trade option for the Bears on his team.
Philip Rivers: The idea is interesting, but Rivers has reportedly no interest in playing for anyone but the Chargers.
Marcus Mariota: Mariota is either a poor man’s Mitch or a rich man’s Mitch. Either way, the Bears don’t need another Mitch.
Who would you like to be the next Bears quarterback? Let me know if you think I missed someone. Direct your thoughts here: