Ryan Pace Seems Open to the Idea of Bringing Back Mark Sanchez

Mark Sanchez didn’t throw a regular season pass for the Chicago Bears in 2017, yet the team still seems quite pleased with his overall contributions. So much so, the Bears remain open to a possible reunion.

“You know, he did a good job this year,” GM Ryan Pace said, via ESPN’s Jeff Dickerson. “All the things we value with him: his veteran leadership and his experiences. Again he’s a free agent; those are all evaluations that are ongoing.”

As we know, the Bears don’t have a backup quarterback after Pace confirmed Mike Glennon’s release, which will become official once the new league year begins. And when the new league year opens up with free agency, the Bears will be in the market for at least two quarterbacks, and possibly a third to add to the mix of competition in training camp. They could use the draft to address their quarterback needs, but also seem intent on bringing in someone with a bit of experience.

Sanchez served as Mitch Trubisky’s mentor/hype man/de facto position coach/aide/confidant/sounding board (I think you get the picture) in 2017, which was similar to the role he played for Dak Prescott with the Dallas Cowboys in 2016. Prescott gushed about Sanchez’s presence as a teammate and there’s no doubt there was value in the veteran bringing that kind of energy to Chicago. Frankly, there aren’t many arguments against bringing Sanchez back in this role for a second season.

I mean, come on! He earned his keep with this alone:

written by

Luis C. Medina, who you can find on Twitter at lcm1986, has been covering the Chicago Bears at Bleacher Nation since 2017. Since then, he has written about 3 head coaches, 5 play-callers, and 11 starting quarterbacks. Previously, Luis wrote about the Cubs and MLB at BN (2015-16) and worked in the Chicago Tribune sports department (2011-16). He also co-hosted a Cubs postgame show, Outside the Ivy, in 2019.

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