The Chicago Bears quarterback situation has taken a new shape in recent days.
Bringing free agent Mike Glennon aboard (presumably to start), cutting Jay Cutler loose, allowing Brian Hoyer to walk, and re-signing Connor Shaw has brought clarity and answers to a position that didn’t have much of either entering the offseason.
The latest news brings more clarity, and officially clears the Bears’ locker room of any quarterback who threw a pass for the team during the 2016 regular season.
According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, Matt Barkley is signing with the 49ers, joining Hoyer as San Francisco’s quarterback room begins to take shape.
Barkley went 1-5 in a starting role in 2016, with his lone win coming on Dec. 4 against the 49ers. Go figure. Barkley completed 11 of 18 passes for 192 yards and posted a 97.5 passer rating. Perhaps San Francisco saw something it liked in the Bears’ third string quarterback that afternoon.
CB Logan Ryan agreed to terms with #Titans, per his agents.
— Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) March 10, 2017
Take another top-rated free agent cornerback off the board as former Patriots cornerback Logan Ryan signed a deal with the Tennessee Titans. Ryan was expendable after New England snatched former Buffalo Bills cornerback Stephon Gilmore in a free agent coup. After failing to land Gilmore or A.J. Bouye, formerly of the Houston Texans, the Bears could have been interested in adding Ryan, who would have provided an upgrade at the position. Ryan was Pro Football Focus’ 16th highest graded cornerback in 2016.
The Bears haven’t been completely shut out in free agency, adding wide receiver Markus Wheaton, safety Quintin Demps and tight end Dion Sims. However, the team whiffed on several players who could have provided significant upgrades at positions of need.
So one day into the new league year, it’s back to the drawing board for GM Ryan Pace and the rest of the organization.