The Chicago Bears aren't betraying any details regarding what they plan to do at the quarterback position. Why would they? The less the media knows, the more advantage they have over other teams who also need a QB. There are any number of routes they could go. Of course there is the draft but also free agency and the trade market.
For the first time in what feels like awhile, there are considerable options from each of those avenues. It comes down to what GM Ryan Pace and head coach John Fox think is best. They have the resources to make something happen. Upwards of $51 million in salary cap space with the ability to create another $20 million easily if they wish. Also the highest draft position they've held since 1972 at the #3 overall pick.
If applied right they can set this team up for a big turnaround in 2017 and perhaps a long run of success in the future. It comes down to having a good plan and executing it. So how can they possibly play this? Recent signs offer a theory.
PERCEIVING VALUE
Needless to say plenty of Bears fans panicked when word hit that the team might be gearing for a run at pending free agent quarterback Mike Glennon. To many he just looks like another Brock Osweiler. A career backup with a huge body and nice arm who just doesn't have the chops to start in the NFL. How could the team view him as their answer at quarterback over Jay Cutler or even Brian Hoyer? However, Pace has continued to insist they have a plan and he's excited about it. When examining that rumor along with their reported interest in certain quarterbacks, it's becoming clear they might have a certain goal in mind. It started with an interesting comment Pace made at the start of the scouting combine.That's not a flat denile, but it's certainly not a confirmation. Far from it. Pace has always been a man who operates by the "Best Player Available" mantra in the draft. Most boards have agreed that there might be one quarterback in this class worthy of going in the top 10, let alone the top five. Thus Pace has a decision to make. Does he reach for somebody or stick to his guns? Tim Baffoe of CBS Sports put it best when responding to that comment.
"When a general manager responds with “value” in regards to “reaching” for something at No. 3 overall, that something is a nothing and not happening. That’s a plus, too, because the last thing this franchise needs is drafting the wrong quarterback at the wrong spot in a rebuild."Thus we can expect the Bears to target a non-QB at #3 overall. However, this doesn't mean they don't plan on drafting one. Given the names they've scouted or met with of late like Patrick Mahomes, Nathan Peterman and Brad Kaaya it's apparent they could go after one in the second or third rounds. Somebody of high talent they can develop. Hence the interest in somebody like Glennon who has NFL starting experience. He can start initially and be a bridge guy until their project is ready. That or the two could be put in direct competition. This strategy mirrors that of two other current contenders that have found success with it.
