When talking about competition for Mitch Trubisky, people have mostly stayed near the big names this offseason. Derek Carr. Teddy Bridgewater. Philip Rivers. Guys who seem to offer more dependability than the former #2 pick has up to this point for the Chicago Bears. However, guys like that are expensive. The Bears aren't exactly swimming in cash lately. So they might have to consider giving opportunities to less proven names. Guys who will be cheap but at least have some upside.
Last month you might remember I did a piece on the idea that the team might make a push to sign Nate Sudfeld. A former 6th round pick out of Indiana, he became a backup for the Philadelphia Eagles the past few seasons and highly thought of inside the organization. He's now a free agent at 26-years old and could look to pursue a chance to compete for a starting job. The Bears, with a similar offensive scheme, make sense.
Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune happened to bring this up recently.
He noted that new quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo is a huge fan of Sudfeld and indicated his belief the guy can be a really good quarterback if given a chance.
“I’m telling you there is a reason why the Eagles held on to Nate, and that’s because he’s going to be a really, really good football player,” DeFilippo told phillyvoice.com two years ago after leaving to become the Vikings offensive coordinator. “Why do you think other teams wanted him? Against the Dallas (starters), Nate played fantastic. That kid is going to be a really, really good football player."
Chicago Bears have no reason not to kick the tires
From Sudfeld's perspective, staying in Philadelphia won't do him much good. Carson Wentz is the uncontested starter and nothing will change that. If he wants a chance to play, he must leave. Chicago makes the most sense. They have the offensive system he knows and the shakiest job security in regards to Trubisky. For the Bears, adding him to the mix can't possibly hurt. He'd be cheap to sign and add another body to the competition.
Besides, it's not like taking risks on former backups has been completely pointless over the years. Several guys who were drafted in later rounds ended up becoming solid starters elsewhere.
- Scott Mitchell
- Mark Brunell
- Matt Hasselbeck
- Jeff Blake
- Aaron Brooks
- Ryan Fitzpatrick
- Tyrod Taylor
Yeah, there are no Tom Bradys in that mix but a number of eventual Pro Bowlers. So it's not like this avenue is totally fruitless from the Bears' perspective. They could bring Sudfeld in with a simple statement that the job can be his if he proves he deserves it. Maybe they get lucky. If not? No big loss.
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