3 Veteran QBs the Bears Should Sign in Free Agency to Mentor Caleb Williams
It is all but locked up at this point that the Bears will be selecting Caleb Williams with the number one overall pick in the upcoming draft. The raw talent is off the charts and he should hopefully provide something the city of Chicago quite literally has never seen - a true franchise quarterback. No prospect is perfect, however, and Williams will likely go through some growing pains in the league.
The best way to aid his development and get past those growing pains is not only surrounding him with elite talent, but bringing in a veteran QB to mentor him. A veteran will be able to show him how to be a pro, break down film, and develop great habits amongst other things. I don't think you necessarily need someone who has been overly successful on the field either.
Tyson Bagent is currently the Bears backup QB and played well last year when called upon. He is only going into his second year though after going undrafted so will not be able to provide the guidance Williams may need. Teams carry three QBs typically with the 3rd stringer occupying the emergency quarterback role that the league implemented last season. This means that Bagent can still make the 53-man roster, but another veteran should be added to provide some experience to the quarterback room.
There will be a ton of names on the market at the start of free agency so here are five that could fill that mentor role.
1. Tyrod Taylor
Taylor has played 13 seasons in the NFL with the Ravens, Bills, Browns, Chargers, Texans, and Giants. He is the epitome of a journeyman in the NFL. He is about as average as you can get across the board in terms of production with a starting record of 28-28-1 to go with a career completion percentage of 61.7. He has proven over the course of his career that he can be called on for some spot starts and win games.
After playing in 13 seasons, Taylor can set Caleb Williams up for success in a plethora of ways. There are only four other active quarterbacks that have played more seasons than Taylor - Rodgers, Flacco, Hoyer, and Stafford. Andy Dalton has the same amount with 13. The point here is that you are not going to find many guys with more experience to bring to the QB meetings next season than Taylor. That type of guidance can go a long way with development for Williams who could learn simple day-to-day things from Taylor on top of the Xs and Os. Spotrac estimates Taylor's next deal to be worth $3.3M.