Connect the dots — Bears likely not done
Despite the Dalton signing, next big quarterback move will come on draft weekend
Andy Dalton seemed genuinely enthused Thursday afternoon.
Introduced to the Chicago media as a new addition to the Bears roster, Dalton made it clear he was arriving as the starting quarterback for the 2021 season. No gray area.
“That’s the assurance I’ve gotten,” he said.
The promise of opportunity was one of the major attractions that lured Dalton to Halas Hall. The $10 million that came with the starting role certainly didn’t hurt. Plus, Dalton truly believes he can help the Bears.
“You want to join a team that is competitive, that is doing things the right way, that is turning in the right direction,” Dalton said.
Dalton seemed entirely unfazed by the harsh public disapproval of his signing. (And my goodness, it’s hard to remember another Bears addition who created this much backlash.) He also didn’t seem concerned about what could be ahead for him at the end of April: an introduction to a rookie quarterback.
With a contract that expires in 12 months, Dalton insisted he was dreaming of a long stay in Chicago.
“I’d love for this to be the last place I play,” he said. “I’d love to finish my career here.”
But Andy, man, how might you handle the situation if suddenly the Bears draft their quarterback of the future in April?
“I’ve been the starter and helped the backup throughout my career,” Dalton said. “I think it’s about what you can do to help the next guy. We’ll see if that’s the case and what we do in the draft.”
And if a young, eager rookie shows up in quarterbacks meetings on Zoom, won’t the dynamic change significantly?
“We’ll see how this whole thing goes,” Dalton added.
It was impossible not to think back four years, to think of the excitement Mike Glennon expressed on the day he was introduced in Lake Forest. Glennon was guaranteed more than $18 million on a three-year deal and also was promised the starting job.
“I have full confidence I’ll be here for a long time and we’ll win a lot of football games,” he said that afternoon.
And when Glennon was asked about the real possibility of the Bears drafting a quarterback?
“I don’t even know what the options are right now,” he responded. “All I can do is control what I can control. I heard (general manager) Ryan (Pace) say I’m the starting quarterback, and I’m going to work with all the guys to be the best player I can be.”
We all know what happened 48 nights later. Glennon was sent to Soldier Field for a team-sponsored party with Bears fans on the first night of the NFL draft. He watched the move that shook the NFL. Pace traded up from No. 3 to No. 2 to draft Mitch Trubisky.
Before Glennon ever took a snap at an organized practice, he already felt blindsided and betrayed.
Technically, Glennon’s tenure as the Bears starter lasted only 19 abysmal days — from a season-opening stumble against the Atlanta Falcons through an immediate-change-is-needed loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 4. Four games in September and then … Poof!
The Bears swiftly promoted Trubisky into the QB1 role. Glennon didn’t throw another pass and was cut the following offseason.
This is a long way of saying Dalton best be prepared for his starting stint in Chicago to be shorter than he envisions.
There’s no way Pace won’t make another significant move at quarterback before training camp begins. And throughout many league circles there’s a connect-the-dots assumption Pace and coach Matt Nagy are aiming to take their swing at drafting a quarterback next month.
If the Bears are interested in finding a quarterback on the first night of the draft, they will have to have trade capital ready and a feel for how high up the draft board they’ll need to jump to get their guy. Sitting still at No. 20 might be risky business if the Bears want one of the five quarterbacks widely graded as first-rounders.
Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence figures to be the first pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars. BYU’s Zach Wilson could very well go at No. 2 to the New York Jets. That would leave Pace and Nagy to distinguish among Ohio State’s Justin Fields, North Dakota State’s Trey Lance and Alabama’s Mac Jones, determining whom they like most and how far up the draft board they might have to climb to grab each.
But according to one league source, the Bears also have been doing significant homework on Day 2 quarterback prospects, hoping the detailed and collaborative evaluations of Pace, Nagy and their respective staffs can identify potential long-term difference-makers.
That group of quarterbacks includes Florida’s Kyle Trask, Texas A&M’s Kellen Mond, Georgia’s Jamie Newman and perhaps even Notre Dame’s Ian Book.
Don’t forget: Russell Wilson — the quarterback most Bears fans have been clamoring for the over the last three weeks — lasted until pick No. 75 in the third round nine years ago. Other notable quarterbacks selected in Rounds 2 and 3 over the last 20 years include Drew Brees, Dalton, Colin Kaepernick, Derek Carr, Jimmy Garoppolo, Drew Lock and Jalen Hurts.
So the Bears have to prepare for a multitude of draft-weekend possibilities.
Pace and Nagy have yet to address the media since the Dalton signing, a transaction that doubled as a vote of no-confidence in Nick Foles. It might be weeks before the GM and coach speak publicly to explain their quarterback moves as well as so much of the other free-agency roster reshuffling.
To further complicate things, there are still rumblings in some league circles that, even with this week’s stall-out, the Bears’ push to trade for Wilson could continue, a dream that hinges on the Seahawks’ desire to get rid of the quarterback who has led them to 98 regular-season wins, nine playoff victories and a Super Bowl XLVIII title.
The tension in the relationship between Wilson and the organization hasn’t gone away. But in order to deal the franchise quarterback, the Seahawks first would want to have Wilson’s successor lined up, then have an off-the-charts compensation package dangled by an interested suitor.
The chances of everything falling into place for the Bears remain slim. Still, ESPN’s Adam Schefter took the bellows to the glowing ash of the Wilson-to-the Bears fire Friday.
“(The Bears) have not abandoned hopes that they could eventually trade for Russell Wilson,” Schefter said on “Get Up.” “I think everybody needs to stay tuned to the Russell Wilson situation up to and during the NFL draft. That is the real touchstone moment when we find out whether the Seahawks are or are not willing to trade Russell Wilson.”
A landmark move like that might be the only way Pace and the Bears can restore hope in a fan base that has been raging this week. That same loyal but worn-out group greeted poor Dalton with a sigh and the side-eye.
Sweet, another average quarterback to serve as a placeholder. How fun!
Dalton seemed aware Thursday of what he was walking into but remained characteristically upbeat. Still, his enthusiasm to be a Bear could diminish when the front office makes its next significant move at quarterback no later than the end of April.