In a free agent market almost entirely bereft of top tier quarterback talent, especially after Washington placed the exclusive franchise tag on Kirk Cousins, you could argue that the best of the bunch is Tampa Bay back-up Mike Glennon.
And if the Bears go the free agent route to fill their need at quarterback, they could look to Glennon:
As teams sort through the various QB options — there are many — 2 potential landing spots have emerged for Mike Glennon: #Bears and #Jets
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 1, 2017
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The 27-year-old actually put up very solid numbers as a starter for the Buccaneers as a rookie in 2013, but was then put into something of a strange developmental role after the team signed Josh McCown for 2014. Glennon again performed well when called upon in that 2014 season, but the team did not win. He was thus pushed back into a backup role when the team opted to draft Jameis Winston with the top overall pick in 2015, and that’s where he’s stayed these past two seasons.
To be sure, no one envisions enormous upside for Glennon at this point, but many believe he could be a perfectly steady and effective presence if given the opportunity.
Some will make the facile Brock Osweiler comparison here, given that he was the last relatively untested back-up to get a major commitment in free agency, but the parallels are simply not that strong. Glennon was more successful in his stint as a starter, but is also not perceived to have the same upside as Osweiler was last year – and thus will probably command less guaranteed money. I know, that’s not exactly enormous praise, but I’m simply saying there’s probably less risk.
If the Bears don’t trade for Jimmy Garoppolo or take a must-start-right-away prospect in the draft, someone like Glennon could make sense to take the reins while the Bears continue searching for a franchise quarterback. (Of course, the same could be said of in-house free agent Brian Hoyer.)
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