Mike Glennon is the clear-cut starter at quarterback for the Chicago Bears in 2017. Period.
Behind him is Mitch Trubisky, the heir-apparent waiting in the wings for his shot. Mark Sanchez is there, in part, to hold it all together as the Bears’ No. 2 quarterback, but also as a mentor for Trubisky – a role similar to the one he played with Dak Prescott in Dallas last season.
So where does that leave Connor Shaw?
If you’ll recall, the Bears parted ways with Shaw for a brief period … until they had to reverse course and take him back off the waiver wire (Sanchez suffered a knee injury that would keep him off the practice field). The Bears re-signed Shaw early in March, keeping him in the fold after he recovered from a gruesome leg injury that cost him the entire 2016 season. However, his future in Chicago is hazy (at best) with Glennon, Trubisky, and Sanchez all in the fold.
While speaking at his annual football camp at River Bluff High School, however, Shaw says he is looking forward to Chicago’s quarterback competition.
“It is a deep room, but competition brings out the best in everyone. I have always enjoyed competing so it’s going to be fun,” Shaw told the Charlotte Observer. Okay.
Shaw hasn’t taken a regular season snap since Dec. 28, 2014, but he seems to be willing to embrace the challenges ahead while stepping further away from the injuries that have stymied his professional career. A thumb injury in 2015, followed by a leg injury suffered during the third game of the preseason when he looked to be the Bears’ best backup option have been the most unfortunate cases for Shaw. However, it was an injury to Sanchez that kept him with the Bears over the summer.
Go figure.
Shaw is healthy now, having added cycling to his offseason workout program. The Bears have four quarterbacks in camp, so breaking through and making the Week 1 roster is quite the mountain to climb for the winningest quarterback in South Carolina’s history. But you can’t blame a man for some optimism, even if it’s not shared by all.