The Bears have a quarterback problem. One that has been a hot topic of conversation during the offseason thus far.
Even if general manager Ryan Pace is content with another year of Mitchell Trubisky, the Bears are expected to add an experienced veteran quarterback to compete with Trubisky, as he’s currently the only quarterback under contract in Chicago.
ESPN’s Ben Linsey believes that Marcus Mariota would be a perfect match for the Bears this free agency.
The Bears are in a tough spot. Despite their effort to make Mitchell Trubisky “the guy,” he has been a below-average quarterback in all three of his seasons as a starter in the NFL. They need to find a replacement, but they have one of the worst cap situations in the league and no draft picks in Rounds 1, 3 or 4 of the upcoming NFL draft.
Mariota is one free-agent option at quarterback who could be in their price range after being benched through six weeks of the 2019 season. Before this season, however, he was coming off two strong showings, ranking 12th among quarterbacks in grade in 2017 and 17th during the 2018 season. As with Ryan Tannehill, Mariota belongs to the middle tier of quarterbacks who can move up or down in a season based on their environment. The hope for Chicago would be to draw out a ceiling performance in Matt Nagy’s system.
Mariota, also a former No. 2 overall selection, didn’t pan out for the Titans, where he was replaced by another veteran QB in Ryan Tannehill. Perhaps Mariota could see second life in a similar situation in Chicago, where Trubisky will get one last chance to prove there’s something worth salvaging.
There’s a belief that since Trubisky and Mariota share representation that Mariota to Chicago isn’t even a possibility, considering Trubisky is already under contract.
Whether it’s Mariota or not, the Bears will indeed bring in an experienced veteran quarterback that can challenge Trubisky — and possibly replace him.
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