Previewing the Chicago Bears quarterbacks for 2017

Breaking down the Chicago Bears’ quarterback situation for the 2017 season.

The NFL is back! Chicago Bears training camp is well underway and the team begins their preseason slate in less than a week. That means, in about a month, real football games will begin. I don’t know about you, but I cannot wait!

To prepare for the season, we at Da Windy City are going to preview each and every position for the 2017 Chicago Bears. Up first, the quarterbacks.

New faces

For the first time since 2008, the Chicago Bears will enter the season with somebody other than Jay Cutler beginning the season as their starting quarterback. Cutler had an interesting career with the Bears and the franchise finally realized this offseason that they could not expect to compete with him moving forward.

So, instead of bringing back Cutler, the Bears committed to former Tampa Bay Buccaneers backup quarterback Mike Glennon in free agency. General manager Ryan Pace and company gave Glennon a three-year free agent contract worth $45 million. The deal looks awful on paper, but the Bears can easily move on from Glennon after the 2017 season if they decide that is the right move.

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On top of signing Glennon, the Bears also drafted Mitch Trubisky with the second overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. Trubisky is an extremely talented passer who has a ton of natural upside going forward. He is an accurate passer who has a strong arm and great mobility. However, he was only the starting quarterback in college for one season. He was fantastic in 2016 during his only season as a starter, but he certainly does not come into the league with the same kind of experience as a typical top five pick.

He was fantastic in 2016 during his only season as a starter, but he certainly does not come into the league with the same kind of experience as a typical top five pick.

Mark Sanchez was also brought in this offseason. Sanchez is unlikely to ever see the field for the Chicago Bears in the regular season, but he is a great veteran presence to have around. Sanchez helped Dak Prescott a ton with the Dallas Cowboys last season and the Bears hope he can do the same with Trubisky.

Predicting the depth chart

Mike Glennon is expected to be the Bears’ starting quarterback in 2017. As we continue to get closer to the start of the season, that looks like a foregone conclusion. Glennon has a bit of NFL experience and his numbers are not terrible (4,100 yards, 30 touchdowns and 15 interceptions in 21 games (18 starts)), but I am not optimistic about his ability to lead the Bears.

Glennon has an extremely strong throwing arm, but he has never shown the ability to trust it. He panics quickly under pressure and seems to constantly be dumping the ball off. His arm talent is for real, but Glennon’s accuracy is poor and he is an absolute statue in the pocket. I am hoping for the best from Glennon in 2017, but I do not expect much.

Sanchez started training camp as the Bears’ number two quarterback, but Trubisky will likely be the primary backup in 2017. Trubisky’s talent is obvious, but his lack of experience and coming from an exclusively shotgun offense in college is concerning. I have a lot of faith in Trubisky’s long-term outlook, but he legitimately may not be ready for a while.

I do expect to see him at some point this season. It is rare for a top five quarterback not to see the field at all as a rookie. But when Trubisky does start taking snaps for the Chicago Bears in 2017, let’s not expect too much. He has a steep learning curve ahead.

Sanchez will essentially be another coach on the sideline and will likely only see regular season playing time in an emergency. Connor Shaw is also still on the roster, but unless there is an injury before the season, I see no path to him making the Bears’ regular season roster.

Final thoughts

Glennon will get a full opportunity to start in 2017. If he surprises me and performs well, he will start for the entire season. However, Trubisky is clearly the franchise quarterback of the Chicago Bears. If things are going poorly with Glennon under center, I would not be surprised to see them pull the plug and get Trubisky some game experience with 2018 and beyond in mind.

Next: Bears should look to trade these players ASAP

More than anything, I am just excited to finally see some fresh faces at the position in 2017.