General manager Ryan Pace maintains that Mitchell Trubisky will be Chicago’s starter in 2020. But that hasn’t stopped him from looking to bring in a veteran quarterback this offseason to challenge Trubisky.
According to The Athletic‘s Paul Dehner Jr., the Bears have had discussions with the Bengals about a potential trade for veteran Andy Dalton. The Bengals are expected to draft Joe Burrow with the No. 1 pick and are working with Dalton to find him a new home. And that could potentially be in Chicago.
If Tom Brady does bolt the Patriots as many believe will happen, that produces two very logical suitors in trade talks for Dalton. The first and most obvious is the Bears, who have been in touch with the Bengals on the topic. If looking to give “competition” to Mitch Trubisky, Dalton would be just that. His contract is a decent number, but it’s digestible when you have Trubisky still on a rookie deal.
Dalton would provide insurance for a Bears team that still believes they can get something out of Trubisky. Much like the Titans brought in Ryan Tannehill to compete with Marcus Mariota last season. When the Titans had realized they had to move on from Mariota, it was a seamless transition to Tannehill, who ignited the Titans offense en route to the AFC Championship Game.
When you look at it, bringing in Dalton would be an ideal situation. He’s an experienced veteran that can both challenge and teach Trubisky. And if Trubisky doesn’t pan out, the Bears could turn to Dalton for the remainder of the 2020 season.
While the Bears would have to take on Dalton’s $17.7 million contract in 2020, they wouldn’t be tied to him longer than one season, which is more than you can say for some other veteran options in free agency.
But of course everything has a cost. According to The Athletic‘s Lindsay Jones, Dalton could cost teams as much as a second- or third-round pick. And Pace has to ask himself if trading one of his second-round picks would be worth it.
Even if Dalton doesn’t wind up in Chicago, the Bears will be looking to bring in a veteran signal caller. While that doesn’t necessarily rule out the possibility of also drafting a young prospect, Pace has made it clear that the Bears will be looking to bring competition to all positions. And that includes quarterback.
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