There are times when following the Bears feels like keeping tabs on a rudderless ship. But as we approach the 2021 NFL Draft, I’m find myself growing convinced about what direction this franchise is going. And it all begins with the pursuit of a quarterback.
Some good stuff from Mel Kiper Jr. and Adam Schefter about Chicago’s QB situation:
Schefter says the Bears are “as set as they can be” at the quarterback position. Which, to me, Schefter might as well be screaming “they’re drafting a quarterback” from a rooftop.
Sure, Schefter relays some love for Dalton from anonymous front offices, passing on that Dalton continually pops up as underrated, someone who teams believe in more than fans. Which is fair enough. I reckon front offices see a guy who guided the Bengals to multiple postseason appearances in good standing. Again, the Dalton signing — in isolation — isn’t the biggest problem. It’s all that has led to the signing which is what grids the gears of Bears fans. It’s easy to lose that perspective, and difficult to maintain focus on the big picture.
But that’s why Kiper’s words that are stronger and more important to me.
“I think he’s a bridge,” Kiper said of Dalton. “Make no mistake, he’s a bridge to the next quarterback. Right now, we don’t know who that quarterback will be.”
This was inevitable. The football draftniks have been discussing the Bears taking a quarterback in the 2021 NFL Draft since April of LAST YEAR. We were barely finishing up our look back on Chicago’s draft class when we started discussing the possibility of taking a quarterback. And those conversations have only grown louder. I’ve seen Kyle Trask, Kellen Mond, Justin Fields, Davis Mills, and Mac Jones sent to Chicago in various mock drafts since the Super Bowl ended. This doesn’t even count Jamie Newman (mocked to the Bears in a June ’20 draft exercise) or Trey Lance (Todd McShay’s choice in his first way-too-early mock).
All this to say that it’s long been a belief in league circles that the Bears were drafting a quarterback this spring. And it’s been difficult to imagine a scenario in which quarterback wasn’t a priority. So while there are other needs to fill, everything still points to selecting a long-term QB option at some point later this month. Good luck figuring out who it is, though…