NEWSLETTER
This offseason, the Chicago Bears have transformed the short-term future of their quarterback position by, well, a lot.
First, they released Jay Cutler (who may not play at all in 2017), then they went out and signed free agent QB Mike Glennon to a three-year/$45 million deal, and without stopping they even added a one-year back-up in the form of Mark Sanchez.
But again, those moves do a lot to address the short-team QB issues. Who will take over as the leader in Chicago for the many years to come (and where that person will come from) has yet to be determined.
So while the Bears might be happy with the current construction of their quarterback room, the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs offers up the idea that the team should still draft a quarterback in the upcoming NFL Draft.
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Sure, the Bears could survive 2017 with a trio of Mike Glennon, Mark Sanchez, and Connor Shaw – but this group doesn’t inspire much faith for the future, nor does it offer much in terms of upside. Further, Biggs notes that a developing rookie could serve as a nice insurance policy (and distraction, in my opinion) of sorts for Pace and Fox.
And remember, after two losing seasons, the pressure to win now is very palpable. The problem, unfortunately, is that the talent just isn’t quite there – and the Bears are looking up in a division that just saw the Packers and Lions make the playoffs in 2016, while the Vikings are only a year removed.
So … who can the Bears target? How about quarterback prospect Davis Webb.
As a developmental (longer-term) quarterback, Webb fits the bill. Recently, he joined Bucky Brooks for a one-on-one interview on the Move The Sticks podcast where he walked through the process that got him to where he is today. An inspired Webb had this to say about his future, “I just want to get to a team that believes in me. Whoever drafts me they’re going to get the hardest-working guy in the facility. The guy who’s going to prove them right every day. I’m not going to worry about the 31 teams that didn’t draft me, I’m just worried about the one team that did.” Webb – who started his career at Texas Tech, where he played as a true freshman, and wrapped it up at Cal, where he threw for 4,295 yards and 37 touchdowns – mentioned that most of the NFL representatives he met believed he was among the best interviews at the Combine. But as strong of a selection as Webb may be, he’s far from the only option.
Dan Durkin of The Athletic, for a second example, offers up another possible quarterback prospect who also was a Senior Bowl participant: Nathan Peterman.
Durkin profiles quarterback Nathan Peterman, who he says has starter potential if his development goes smoothly (always a big if, but those are some encouraging remarks). The Bears brass took a good, long look at Peterman during Senior Bowl week … and during the Senior Bowl game where he took a majority of the snaps for the Bears-coached North team. Peterman reminds Durkin of Kirk Cousins and projects to be a third-round pick. So if the Bears liked what they saw, there is no reason not to invest in their future with a player familiar with a pro style offense.
Neither may be the first-round talent for which many Bears’ fans were hoping, but both could provide some long-term upside at a position that’s desperately in need.
Michael Cerami Contributed to This Post.
